Cyprus Parliamentary Elections, 1976

Background

The 1976 parliamentary elections were held on 5 September 1976 in Cyprus for the election of 35 members of the House of Representatives for the 3rd Parliamentary Period.

Political System

Cyprus is a single democracy with a presidential system of governance. The President of the Republic of Cyprus, directly elected in the middle of the legislative period, serves as both head of state and head of government, chairing the Executive Cabinet. However, proportional elections for the House of Representatives facilitate multi-partyism, where the elected president's party often joins other smaller parties to form a co-operation government that adapts to parliamentary changes after parliamentary elections.

Electoral System

The 50 seats of the House of Representatives were divided among six multiple constituencies, with the number of seats distributed according to the population of each district. Of these, 35 seats were contested in the 1976 elections.

Results

Parliamentary elections were held on 5 September 1976. The Democratic Front (DIKO), Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL), and Movement for Social Democracy (EDEK) coalition won a significant majority, receiving just over 70% of the vote and securing 34 out of the 35 seats. The remaining seat was won by an independent candidate.

Turnout

The voter turnout in these elections was 85.3 percent.

Electoral Outcomes

The Democratic Front-AKEL-EDEK coalition emerged victorious, while the DNP-DD coalition lost all districts.