site.btaRecord-high Temperatures Registered in Cyprus in Election Week

Record-high temperatures were registered in Cyprus in the week of the European Parliament elections. On Friday, thermometers in Cypriot capital Nicosia indicated some 42C, and even at night, temperatures do not fall below 28-30C, a BTA special correspondent reported.

On Thursday, a temperature of 44.5C was measured in Nicosia, which is an absolute record-high temperature for the city for June. Usually, such heatwaves in Cyprus are observed in July. This chokes the country's power system and increases the risks of wildfires. Code orange for high temperatures has been issued in Cyprus on Friday.

In the streets of Nicosia's historic centre, occasional tourists are the only ones daring to be outdoors at the hottest time of the day around and after noon.

The locals that the BTA special correspondent met were mostly those working in restaurants and shops, who are used to the heat. "The desert climate is coming to us, Cypriots will form the next migration wave to Western Europe in the coming years because of the heat", local citizens joke.

In such a high-temperature environment, the country is preparing for eight-in-one elections on June 9. In addition to European Parliament elections, Cypriots will also vote in local elections, where for the first time they will elect a total of seven types of local government representatives - from mayors to school board presidents.

In Cyprus, 706,534 citizens aged 18 or over are eligible to vote, out of its total population of 920,701, according to 2023 Eurostat data. They will elect six MEPs out of 12 parties and two independent candidates. Voting is not compulsory. It can only be done by paper ballot, there will not be machine and postal voting.

Polling day in Cyprus will start at 7 a.m. on Sunday and will last until 6 p.m. with a one-hour break from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

In the historic centre of Nicosia there is no sign that elections are coming. There are no election posters or political campaigning. However, local people told BTA that this is not the case in the rest of the city, where there are dozens of candidates' billboards on the streets.

According to unofficial data, some 30 000 Bulgarians live in Cyprus and will vote in eight polling stations across the country. A total of 2,017 Bulgarian citizens will be able to vote in the European elections. There will be two polling stations in the capital Nicosia. Bulgarians will also be able to vote in Dali, Larnaca, Limassol, Paralimni, Paphos and Polis Chrysochous.