Cyprus parliamentary elections proceed with high voter turnout
On May 24, 2026, Cyprus held its parliamentary elections with 1,212 polling stations operating across the island and abroad. By 3:00 pm, official data from the General Returning Officer, Elikkos Elia, confirmed a national voter turnout of 49.8 percent, an increase of 4.7 percentage points compared to the 2021 elections. Voting is scheduled to conclude at 6:00 pm, after which the manual counting process will begin at individual polling stations. The first official results identifying successful parties are expected between 8:30 pm and 9:00 pm, with the final list of 56 elected members of parliament likely by 2:00 am Monday. President Nikos Christodoulides cast his vote, urging citizens to participate and emphasizing that abstention is not a viable democratic choice. Authorities reported that the voting process has remained smooth, including the use of the new Digital Citizen platform, despite isolated technical issues. While residents in districts like Paphos combined voting with outdoor activities due to favorable weather, officials maintained strict supervision across all districts.