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Cabinet Approves Voting Rights for Displaced Persons for Place of Origin

Published February 13, 2026, 12:36

The Council of Ministers has decided to grant displaced persons the right to vote in elections for local authorities in the occupied areas. Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou stated that the regulation is expected to be implemented in 2029, in the next local government election process. This decision takes into account the need for displaced persons to exercise their voting rights without distorting parliamentary representation. When asked why the right to vote is not extended to other electoral contests, Mr. Ioannou explained that this could lead to significant changes in the electoral map and the distribution of seats in Parliament. Specifically, such a change could reduce the seats of the provinces of Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos, while disproportionately increasing those of Famagusta and Kyrenia. He noted that over time, the number of displaced persons would decrease, and the electoral distribution would change drastically, deviating from population data. At the same time, he clarified that displaced persons will be able to vote both for their place of origin and for their place of residence, as is the case for inherited displaced persons. The government seeks to balance the need to exercise the voting rights of displaced persons with the need to maintain balance in electoral representation, taking into account the specificities of the Cypriot reality.