A record 753 candidacies and 19 party lists were submitted on Wednesday for the 24 May parliamentary elections, the chief returning officer Elikko Ilia confirmed, marking the highest figures ever recorded in a Cypriot electoral cycle.
"Today, candidacies were submitted to the returning officers for the parliamentary elections to be held on 24 May 2026. A total of 753 candidacies were submitted, approximately 100 more than at the last parliamentary elections, of which 744 relate to party lists and nine relate to independent candidates," Ilia said.
He confirmed the figures were record-breaking on both counts. "The previous highest number we had was at the 2021 parliamentary elections. At that time there were 15 party lists; now we have 19, and now we have 102 more candidates than we had in 2021," he said.
Of the 753 candidacies submitted, 529, or 70.3%, were filed by men and 224, or 29.7%, by women. All 19 parties submitting candidacies are registered on the official register of political parties. In alphabetical order, they are: Agronomas Agricultural Labour Party, Akel, Far-Left Resistance Communism, Alma-Citizens for Cyprus, Direct Democracy of Cyprus, Volt Cyprus, Democratic Change, Dipa-Cooperation of Democratic Forces, Democratic National Movement, Diko, Disy, Edek-Socialist Party, Elam, Active Citizens-Movement of Cypriot United Hunters, Ecologists Movement-Citizens' Cooperation, People's Struggle Freedom, Patriotic Front Lacedaemonians, Rise Up and the Green Party of Cyprus.
Eligibility queries resolved, ballot printing to begin 9 May
Ilia also addressed concerns that had been raised in recent days about the eligibility of certain candidates. He said that between 10 and 12 candidacies had been subject to preliminary scrutiny by the Legal Service following reports and letters received by the ministry, and that in all cases the Legal Service advised that the candidates in question were entitled to stand. "Everything that had been placed before the Legal Service has been resolved and no problem arose," he said.
The returning officer added that the submission process on Wednesday had proceeded in a civilised manner across all districts. He noted that some candidates had withdrawn their interest or been replaced by their parties prior to the deadline, and that objections to candidacies could still be submitted, with any such cases to be examined promptly in close cooperation with the police and the Legal Service. Candidacies will be finalised once the objection period closes and any challenges have been ruled upon.
Ballot printing is scheduled to begin on 9 May, with logistical planning underway at the Government Printing Office. Ilia noted that the Nicosia district ballot, which carries 19 candidates across 19 party lists, is likely to be printed double-sided given its volume. Polling stations will operate not only across Cyprus but also in Athens, Thessaloniki, London and Brussels.
Candidacies were also submitted on Wednesday for the representatives of the island's religious minorities in the House of Representatives. Two candidacies were filed for the Maronite community, from Marios Mavridis and Petros Nakouzis, meaning an election will likely be held for that seat. For the Armenian community, Vartkes Makhdesyan filed a single candidacy, and for the Latin community, Antonella Lydia Mantovani filed a single candidacy. Both are expected to be declared elected unopposed if no objection is raised within 24 hours.
Source: CNA
