Cyprus grants maternal-line displaced persons equal voting rights for local elections

The Cyprus Cabinet has approved a legislative amendment to the Population Registry Law to grant maternal-line displaced persons the right to vote in local authority elections based on their place of displacement. This decision, announced by Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou, aims to equalize electoral rights with those already held by paternal-line displaced persons. Under the new regulation, voters can choose to register based on either their current residence or their mother’s place of displacement. In cases where both parents are displaced, the system defaults to the father’s side, though a one-time application can be submitted to switch to the mother's side. The amendment is scheduled to take effect for the 2029 local elections to encourage active participation in decision-making. However, the government clarified that these changes will not extend to parliamentary elections. Minister Ioannou explained that applying this to parliamentary contests would significantly alter the distribution of seats across constituencies. Initial estimates suggest such a move would reduce seats in Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos while disproportionately increasing them in Famagusta and Kyrenia.