in-cyprus 3 May 2024
State coffers have been filled with almost one million euros after the submission of candidacies for the upcoming elections.
With a total of 6,594 individuals officially running for positions in either the European Parliament or local government, the large number of candidates inevitably leads to significant financial contributions to the state.
Each candidate is required by law to pay a fee for the position they are contesting, and these fees vary depending on the role.
According to data from the Elections Service, the breakdown of candidacies is as follows: 63 for the European Parliament, 13 for Provincial Organisation Presidents, 82 for Mayors, 258 for Deputy Mayors, 2,190 for municipal councillors, 745 for community leaders, and 3,243 for community councillors.
European Parliament
For candidates running for the European Parliament, a fee of €1,000 is mandated upon submitting their candidacy. Thus, a total sum of €63,000 has been collected from these individuals. This fee is refundable to the candidate under three circumstances: if they withdraw their candidacy, if the vote does not proceed, or if they attain 1/3 of the electoral threshold.
The electoral threshold is calculated as 16.66% of the total valid ballots cast, so the actual number will depend on voter turnout. Consequently, those who fail to secure enough votes will not have their fee reimbursed.
Local government
Turning to local government elections, the financial requirements are as follows: each candidate for Mayor or President of a Provincial Organisation is required to pay a fee of €1,000.
Thus, a total of €82,000 has been collected from mayoral candidates and an additional €13,000 from candidates for the Provincial Councils. Each candidate for Deputy Mayor must pay a fee of €500, resulting in a total of €129,000 collected from 258 candidates.
Furthermore, each candidate for municipal councillor is obligated to pay €100, leading to a total of €219,000 collected from 2,190 individuals running for these positions.
According to the law governing local government elections, these fees are refunded to the candidates if the vote does not proceed or, in the event of a candidate’s death, to their legal representatives. In any other scenario, the amounts are deposited into the Republic’s fund.
Community councils
Additionally, there are candidates for community leaders and members of community councils: each candidate for community leader pays a fee of €200, while each candidate for community council member pays €100. This results in a total of €149,000 collected from 745 candidates for community leaders and €324,300 from 3,243 candidates for community council members. Per the law, the fee is refunded under the following conditions: if the vote does not proceed, if the candidate attains 1/3 of the electoral threshold for council members, if they secure 1/5 of the valid votes for the community leader position, or if they are elected in the event of a vote.
In total, €979,300 has been deposited into the state’s coffers. A portion of this amount will be refunded to those who successfully meet the required thresholds, while the remainder will be retained by the state.
