British Residents Lose Their Right To Vote

[Dominic]

Large British expat communities no longer have any say in how local affairs are run
By Bejay Browne

British permanent residents living in Cyprus have now officially lost the right to vote in local elections, while those sitting on local councils have been told to vacate their posts.

Most had expected the move as yet another result of Brexit which turned British expats into third country nationals, but this has done little to assuage the anger and disappointment felt by thousands as they received official letters in recent weeks asking them to return their voting booklets.

“You are a holder of an EU voting card as a British citizen residing in the Republic of Cyprus,” the letter reads. “According to the decision of the Council of Ministers, British nationals are now third-country nationals and cannot retain their voting rights in the Republic. Therefore your name will be deleted from the electoral roll and your voting card will be cancelled. You are kindly asked to visit one of the following points to return the voting card that you have in your possession.”

Many are refusing to return their voting cards, instead holding on to them in the hope that something may be done, but the letter is just a formality. British residents have already been removed from the register, the Paphos district office confirmed.

Read the article and chat about it below...

[Devil]

From the 1870s through to 1960 and especially from 1938, the UK treated most Cypriots pretty much like dirt, without any rights even at the village level. The Anglophobia of the 1960s and earlier was an inevitable result of this and, to some extent, continues to exist today.

So what could Cyprus do in the face of Brexit? Should it give the United Kingdom special treatment, different from any other country which is not in the same European Union? The powers that be have decided that the UK is in the same category as every other non--EU country, which seems logical. As a result, the UK is to be treated the same as Russia, China, USA et cetera. Seems natural to me.

[Dominic]

Yes, and the reason that Cypriots get the vote in the UK is apparently because Cyprus is part of the Commonwealth.

[galexinda]

If people feel strongly about voting they can get Cypriot Citizenship.

Also the people who are losing their seats on various councils - would they be able to continue to represent TCNs if they took up Cypriot Citizenship?

[wantoosoon]

I wonder how many of those complaining voted for, or supported, leave?

Probably not many.

Edit: Most Brexiters would probably claim that this was always the plan, or that it's a necessary price to pay for our "liberation".

[wantoosoon]

From the 1870s through to 1960 and especially from 1938, the UK treated most Cypriots pretty much like dirt, without any rights even at the village level. The Anglophobia of the 1960s and earlier was an inevitable result of this and, to some extent, continues to exist today.

So what could Cyprus do in the face of Brexit? Should it give the United Kingdom special treatment, different from any other country which is not in the same European Union? The powers that be have decided that the UK is in the same category as every other non--EU country, which seems logical. As a result, the UK is to be treated the same as Russia, China, USA et cetera. Seems natural to me.

The blame has to rest with the UK government, which couldn't care less about the rights of British citizens in the EU, or the stripping of rights from millions of Brits who voted to remain. I can't think of another recent example of a democracy which has taken significant rights away from so many people against their will. The UK doesn't seem like a liberal (i.e. pluralistic) democracy at this point. Even if the UK had to leave the EU as a result of the referendum, there were far better and more equitable ways to do it.

[WHL]

Its a shame, because its only fair that if you are a resident of a town and pay local tax's, you should have a say in who runs your council, unfortunately Brexit rears its ugly head again.

[Kili01]

A few posts back it was said that it was reasonable for Cypriot residents to have full voting rights in the UK, following Brexit, when British residents in Cyprus have lost theirs. This was because Cyprus was part of the British Commonwealth. That is true, but as Brits we are also the country which is the head of the Commonwealth to which Cyprus is a member...
I have read that British residents in Spain have been allowed to keep their voting rights there.

Dee

[Dominic]

That is true, but as Brits we are also the country which is the head of the Commonwealth to which Cyprus is a member...

And?

[Kili01]

In Cyprus there were a small number of previous British members of their local village community councils. All had held these demanding positions for a number of years and had acquitted themselves very well. They were popular and had been voted into these positions.
I was aware of Cathi Delaney in Tala, who did a sterling job in her village, acting as a link between local people and the expat community living there. She also issued a monthly newsletter to keep people living there informed of the councils news and activities planned.
A lot will be lost now that people like her, who gave up so much of their time to help others,
are now barred from continuing as we are now 3rd country nationals.
Dee

[Steve - SJD]

I can't recall any previous complaints about third country nationals not being able to vote in local elections in Cyprus.
It seems that only now that it will affect Brits is it being highlighted as unfair.

The article mentions fourteen other EU countries - I tried to find the names but only found four so far
with reciprocal voting agreements: Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg and Poland

Nationals who now move to the UK where there is no reciprocal agreement (excl. Cyprus) will not have
local voting rights. So it would seem that the UK Govt. has no issue with limiting rights regardless
of whether the person is resident and pays taxes or not.

Surely if people feel that strongly and want to continue voting then they could apply for citizenship.

Regardless I am not sure that the anger should be directed at the Cyprus Govt. for a decision the UK took -
after all the UK could have had an agreement about voting rights if it had seen that as a priority.

Cheers

Steve

[Kili01]

To apply for Cypriot nationality/ citizenship, would take an unspecified number of years... not a quick fix!
I think perhaps Spain has a more relaxed attitude to its British residents, my nephew and his family are very happy in that country...
Brtain might have been able to broker an agreement re Our British voting* rights, but as I'm sure you must know, the final arrangement was done in great haste. Certainly in no way the fault of British Expatriates. Anyone who voted for it, got what they deserved!
Dee

[Jim B]

If Cyprus opens the voting gates to the British it will have to open them to the 40,000 Russians and other TCNs, that's the reasoning behind it all. The Russians here are very political unlike the predomina5ely lethargic British.

[WHL]

If Cyprus opens the voting gates to the British it will have to open them to the 40,000 Russians and other TCNs, that's the reasoning behind it all. The Russians here are very political unlike the predomina5ely lethargic British.

Very good point.

[josef k]

Lets get real on this. Who can vote, and in what elections, is covered by the Cyprus written constitution. If the government wanted to change this, it would involve parliamentary committees, parliament itself, the President, the Attorney General and the Supreme Court. It would likely take years, if only because they all have more pressing issues to deal with, and this subject would be at the bottom of their priorities.
All this would be for the small number of brits who would vote. The vast majority would not, as they didn't before. Lets face it, the majority of Brits don't even know the name of the president or of the various political parties. Neither do they speak the language.

[Dominic]

I can get why the Cypriots don't allow it. It is however annoying. But my annoyance isn't with the Cypriots, it is with the people who voted to leave and worse , those who wanted to remain but couldn't be arsed to vote.

<< dramatic chord >>

[chatsworth]

Lets face it, after the efforts Cypriots went to to gain independence from the Brits they are hardly going to fall over themselves to make any arrangements to enable the Brits to have a say in anything. I don't think any amount of moaning from Paphos pensioners will make one iota of difference.
Anyway, the Cypriots appear quite capable of buggering up their own country without any help from outsiders, especially those who have made a laughing stock of their own country.