“Abstention is not an option,” said President Nicos Christodoulides, who exercised his right to vote at 10am today:15 this morning, he exercised his right to vote for the 2026 Parliamentary Elections, at the Geroskipou Primary School, Centre C, in Paphos, accompanied by his wife Philippa Karsera Christodoulides.
After exercising his right to vote, the President said in a statement to reporters that “today’s electoral process is important and concerns all of us”
And it is in this context, President Christodoulides said, “that I invite the Cypriot people to participate in the electoral process”
He also said that as an executive “we have made some operational reforms so that there is more participation, with automatic registration, with the right to vote from the age of 17, it was decided by the House to apply from the next election, but, I repeat, it is important, good for people to participate.”
“Certainly abstention is not an option,”
Asked if he is worried about the election result, the President of the Republic said “no, I am not worried about the election result, whatever it is, it will be fully respected by the executive and we will work with the new Parliament so that our country can move forward even further, so that society can benefit, so that the Cypriot people can benefit”.
“What is important in any electoral process is to think about how our country can move even further forward. That is the goal of the executive, that is what we are doing as a government, that is what we will do with the new Parliament,”
Asked whether there was toxicity during the campaign and whether he was satisfied with the quality of the political discourse during the campaign, the President of the Republic said that “it would clearly be better if there was a more substantial exchange of positions, of opinions – all positions are respected, but if there was a dialogue, on the basis of the issues that concern society, that concern the Cypriot people, on our national issue, on the Cyprus problem, which I see developments coming. In any case, the election period is over, today the Cypriot people will decide and the result will be fully respected.”
When asked if he will cooperate with everyone, President Christodoulides said “we are ready to cooperate on the basis of our ideological-political approach, in no case on the basis of any conciliation”.
“I insist on ideology, I insist that we have a very specific, and we show it through our decisions and actions, political-ideological orientation, the opinion of those who disagree with us and those who agree with us is respected, and on this basis if we have common goals, common visions we are ready to cooperate immediately,” he noted.
Asked what criteria he used to make his personal choice today and to a journalist’s remark that this is the first time that Paphos will have five MPs, the President said that “yes, Paphos will have five MPs in this election process. I have made my choice on the basis of my ideological-political framework by which we exercise the governance of the country. I say no more and act differently.”
“We have a programme, a social contract with the Cypriot people which we implement on the basis of social liberalism and it is within this framework that I exercised my electoral right,”
he added.
Asked whether he voted for one or two candidates, the President said “it does not matter whether I voted for one or two. I voted, I exercised my right to vote, I did not abstain. I voted on the basis that I have mentioned to you.”
In response to a journalist’s remark that he voted quickly, the President said “alas, I have a clear opinion within the framework I mentioned to you about our ideological-political orientation. I want to mention this, at a time when, not only in Cyprus, but also at the European and international level, some people are claiming the collapse of ideologies, let me disagree completely.”
“We have to have a clear ideological-political direction, that is what we do, it is respected if others choose something different, and on the basis of that we also practice politics, we also choose candidates for MPs,” he said.
Asked if he will watch the election results tonight or the football match where Olympiacos Piraeus will play, the President said that “I will definitely watch the election results.”
“I’m interested in Olympiacos, I’m a fan of Olympiacos, and of Pafos of course, I never denied it, on Friday I will be at the stadium to watch the Cup final, but I will also be informed about the final in Athens”, he said in conclusion.
