Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 11-05-22

Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] PRESIDENT ELECTIONS POLLING

[02] ELECTIONS POLLING STATIONS REOPEN

[03] ELECTIONS POLICE SECURITY

[01] PRESIDENT ELECTIONS POLLING

Speaking after casting his vote in Sunday`s parliamentary elections, President Christofias said ``this day is special for Cyprus and its people, because it is the day democracy and the democratic institutions in our country are tried once again,`` and expressed certainty that ``democracy will be the victor.``

``The most important possession people have gained in any country where a political culture has been established is democracy and democratic procedures,`` he said.

He called on voters ``to exercise not their duty to vote but their obligation to do so,`` adding that ``it is the obligation of the citizens to express their opinion about who should handle the issues that concern them, be they either political or socioeconomic.``

President Christofias said ``the House of Representatives is a very important institution, one that directly expresses the sovereignty of the people of Cyprus.``

``What I want to stress with emphasis is that as of tomorrow we must turn a page. We must see eye to eye who is really responsible for the inactivity in the Cyprus issue, to stop blaming ourselves,`` he said, adding that ``we must joint hands, discuss in depth our convergences and differences, and with pragmatism see how we can move forward.``

He added that ``there are approaches which are not the most pleasant, and in order to tackle them they must be tackled collectively, and this is the main message I want to send.``

President Christofias referred to the socioeconomic problems, which ``are problems faced by the whole world, all the countries.``

``Tackling these problems and paying a smaller price is our aim,`` he said, adding that there are differing views about where the burden should be thrown and this we must discuss.``

The President said ``the line we follow is not to burden the common people, the workers, but those who can carry the burden to lift it.``

Asked how these elections could affect government policy, President Christofias said ``they are parliamentary elections and parliamentary elections have to do with the parties and the citizens, who are candidates, to represent the people of Cyprus.``

``That is why I said that tomorrow we must turn the page and join forces in the struggle to tackle Turkish intransigence and moves behind the back of the people of Cyprus by various factors, and jointly look ahead. The same stands for the socioeconomic problems, which are the consequence of the global financial crisis. They are not Cypriot phenomena, they are not the result of governance,`` he said.

In a statement in English, President Christofias said ``this is a day of triumph for democracy,`` adding that ``we created in Cyprus a tradition of democratic elections.``

``I call upon the people to come, express their right and responsibility to vote, to choose who is going to represent them in Parliament for the next five years,`` he said.

He added that ``Cyprus is suffering from occupation and we have to concentrate our attention on how to overcome the stagnation because of the intransigence of the Turkish leadership and to create conditions for a speedy solution of the Cyprus problem and the reunification of our island and our people, within the framework of a bizonal bicommunal federation and of course our socioeconmic problems.``

[02] ELECTIONS POLLING STATIONS REOPEN

The polling stations opened at 0700 local time (0400 GMT) and closed at 1200 local time (11 GMT) for a one-hour break.

Voting ends at 1830 local time (1530 GMT).

[03] ELECTIONS POLICE SECURITY

In statements at the Crisis Management Centre at Police Headquarters, Papageorgiou said that ``we are in constant contact and communication with every corner of Cyprus, with each of our members, through the mechanism that has been set up.``

``We are in contact with every polling station, with every patrol, from every district to the centre, and from the centre to the Returning Officer of the home district or the Returning Officer, if and when necessary,`` he added.

Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article