EU nationals grapple with red tape in search for voting rights
By Leo Leonidou

DETAILS of voting rights for non-Cypriots and how to register on the electoral list have not been made clear, with European citizens living in Cyprus claiming that they have not been notified of their right to vote.

With Cyprus’ accession, non-Cypriot EU nationals resident in Cyprus have the right to vote in local and European parliament elections (ref Council Directive 94/80EC December 19, 1994).

In addition to voting, EU resident nationals may also run as candidates to sit on their local community board.

The position of Mayor or Mukhtar is an executive position. These elected positions are reserved for Cypriot nationals, as they may represent the Republic of Cyprus in an official capacity legally. Non-Cypriots cannot stand for election as MEPs either.

John Moffat, Vice President of the Tala Cultural and Environmental Association, is one of the people affected. He told the Cyprus Mail that, “the Interior Ministry has not done anything to notify people of their right to vote since the Ombudswoman (in her report dated September 7, 2005), made a recommendation that it was everybody’s right to be notified.”

He went on to say that: “Additionally, we don’t even know the voting structure for our local Mukthar elections in December. Nothing has been published by the Ministry and we only hear things through word of mouth from the expat community who provide each other with information.”

Linda Leblanc, Press and Public Relations Secretary of the Peyia Community Association, said: “Last year, formal complaints were registered with the Ombudswoman and the EU Office when non-Cypriot EU nationals were wrongfully denied their democratic right to vote in the Peyia Mayor by-election in September. This sparked the beginning of a grassroots movement to provide information to Peyia residents and others about their rights. Several public meetings were held with many hundreds of people in attendance, resulting in the establishment of a formal group, the Peyia Community Association.”

Information about voting rights and other issues of concern to residents, such as title deeds and town planning regulations, may be found on their website www.peyiacommunityassociation.org.

Their successful voting rights campaign has so far resulted in over 200 non-Cypriot EU citizens registering to vote in Peyia.

Leblanc added: “We are continuing with a campaign to pressure the Minister of the Interior to inform new EU voters of their voting rights, as required by the EU Directive. There are still lengthy delays in issuing residency permits needed to apply for the Cyprus ID card and to register on the electoral roll. In Paphos, there is a two-month wait for an appointment, which is followed by six months or more before Immigration issues the residency permit. There is then another wait of several weeks for an ID card before one can register to vote. 

“These unnecessary delays, coupled with the failure of the Ministry of Interior to inform people of their rights, will now result in many new EU voters being unable to register to vote in time for December's municipal election.

“One of the most important areas of harmonisation with European law concerns procedures for European integration.  This is why legislation guarantees not only the electoral rights of European citizens but also makes it a requirement to inform new EU voters about their voting rights in good time and in an appropriate manner. Unless the Minister acts quickly to remove these obstacles, the subsequent denial of democratic rights of EU citizens in Cyprus will result in yet another black mark for Cyprus in Brussels.”

In September last year, David Ball, President of the Peyia Community Association, formally complained to the Ombudswoman about these delays.  Unfortunately, so far no action seems to have been taken.

The electoral roll is updated every three months (January, April, July, October).  Prospective voters are required to register by early September at the latest to be included in the October 2 update, which will be the last one prior to the December 2006 elections.

There are separate electoral lists for Cypriot and non-Cypriot EU nationals.
A Cypriot identity card (or a photocopy if you are not registering personally) is required to register to vote. A completed ‘application for registration in the special electoral list for European electors’ blue form is also required.  Once registered, a European voting book is issued, which must be collected by the voter from the community leader.

Moffat suggested that people who have an ID card register as soon as possible. “It only takes a few minutes and is now quite painless,” he said. “If you are unable or don’t want to do it personally, we will arrange to do it for you if given the completed blue application form and ID card photocopy.”

n Further information can be obtained from the Peyia Community Association.
Tel: 26-621272, or email: info@peyiacommunityassociation.org

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