A village of candidates. It’s not just a figure of speech or an exaggeration. With the official submission of candidacies, no one can know how far the final number of our compatriots vying for a position in the upcoming elections on June 9 will reach.
The large number of elected representatives who will have a role in the new local government, combined with the simultaneous conduct of the European elections, is expected to attract a huge number of candidates overall.
In this equation, we must also consider the difficulty many parties face in compiling their electoral lists, as a large number of individuals are required to fill all the elected positions.
The parallel electoral process of European and local elections, along with the large number of candidates needed to fill ballot papers, has put pressure on the parties themselves.
In the June 9 elections, we will have the following data:
20 municipalities for the free areas and 9 occupied municipalities. Thus, we will have as many mayors. In some cases, we will have two, three, or even more mayoral candidates. Plus, of course, the number of community leaders.
93 deputy mayors, as each area participating in the municipality will have its deputy mayor. For example, the new Municipality of Nicosia will have a deputy mayor of Nicosia, a deputy mayor of Aglandjia, a deputy mayor of Engomi, and a deputy mayor of Agios Dometios. The 93 positions of deputy mayors will be contested by double or even triple the number of candidates.
349 Municipal Councillors for the free municipalities plus 94 Municipal Councillors for the occupied municipalities, totalling 443. Each party will have its ballot paper. Most have complete ballot papers for all municipalities. We have seven parliamentary parties. When the number of municipal council candidates approaches three thousand. Without taking into account the number of candidates for Community Councils.
209 elected members of School Boards for free and occupied areas, which will again be contested by combinations of almost all parties. It is clarified that someone who is a candidate for another position can also apply for a position on school boards.
Five Presidents of District Organisations: The picture is completed by the five positions of Presidents of District Organisations for which we already have two candidates for the Nicosia district, two candidates for the Limassol district, two for the Famagusta district, two for the Larnaca district, and two for the Paphos district. A total of ten so far, with the possibility of a further increase in their number.
Six MEPs: In the upcoming elections, we will also vote for the positions of the six MEPs of the Republic of Cyprus. The six positions will be contested by corresponding candidates from the seven parliamentary parties plus any other coalitions that may arise, such as the newly formed VOLT. Under these conditions, it is expected that we will have at least 48 MEP candidates overall.
So, when looking at the total number, it becomes apparent that at the end of the day, we will have several candidates that will almost equal the population of a large community or even a small municipality.
