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1st LD: Cypriots start voting in post-bailout parliamentary elections

Xinhua, May 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Polling stations in Cyprus opened on Sunday for a vote to elect a new 56-member parliament, which is expected to reflect public reaction to a three-year austerity program.

The voting is slow at first but is expected to pick up steam later.

The new members of the House of Representatives will be made up only of Greek Cypriots, as the Turkish Cypriot has been outside the bi-communal government since it pulled out in 1963.

Voting is expected to close at 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) with first official results expected in less than two hours and the final results shortly before midnight.

The parliamentary elections came after Cyprus' exit earlier this year from a bailout that was agreed upon following a near meltdown of its economy in 2013.

The elections are being contested by a record 12 parties or political groups, including some that had sprung up after the elections were declared a few weeks ago.

The main contesting parties include the ruling center-right Democratic Rally Party (DISY), the left-wing Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL), and the center Democratic Party (DIKO), which has often been in a distant third place.

Polls indicate a possible high abstention rate, with between 12 and 16 percent of the 543,000 voters still undecided about how to vote. Pollsters said it is not easy to make any firm predictions given the fluid situation.

Polls point to a parliament more splintered than before. The number of parliamentary parties is expected to increase from five to eight as some protest groups also have a chance with promises of quick fixes.

At least four of the small parties are expected to get into the parliament. Endi