Over 200k Voters to Participate in By-Elections, says YSK Chairman Şefik
Supreme Board of Elections Chairman, Narin Ferdi Şefik, recently appeared on BRT’s ’17 Time’ program to discuss various election-related matters. One of the key points he brought up was the number of registered voters, which has increased from the previous December 25 election. Today, there are 209,837 registered voters, which marks an increase of 1,601 individuals.
Another issue discussed was the abolition of mixed voting. According to Şefik, amendments have been made to Articles 101 and 136, and mixed votes have been deemed invalid by more than 60% in previous elections. Though this is unfortunate for those who prefer mixed votes, a vote’s invalidity suggests that the will of the ballot box is not properly reflected.
Additionally, Şefik noted that the district election boards are trying to reduce the number of ballot boxes to ensure election results arrive earlier. The official number of ballot boxes will be released between May 22-24, but Şefik believes there could be a decrease of up to 30% compared to previous elections.
Lastly, political parties participating in the elections must determine their candidates by May 31. These updates are pertinent as the Turkish Cypriot parliamentary elections on June 27th approach.
