Our View: Political games have turned local elections into farce
– Candidacies were submitted for the most complex elections ever held in Cyprus, where people would be voting for Members of European Parliament and an unprecedented number of local government officials.
– There are 63 candidates for the six seats in the European Parliament and 3,232 candidates for the local authority elections, including school boards.
– The vote for local government includes voting for municipal councillors, a deputy mayor, a mayor, and a district governor.
– The introduction of an elected district governor was not in the government reform plans but was added by a party without clear justification.
– The reform of local government was recommended in 2013 due to the costly, inefficient, and poor service provided by the existing system.
– The creation of new municipalities was influenced by political parties’ interests in creating positions for their members rather than streamlining services.
– The reform turned into a farce due to horse-trading by parties, resulting in a costly system that may not address the waste of public money.
– The authorities of the district governor and mayors remain to be seen how they will be exercised.