2006 Cypriot Legislative Election

Background

The 2006 Cypriot legislative election was the ninth parliamentary election in Cyprus, held on 21 May 2006. The election was for the renewal of 56 out of 80 members of the House of Representatives for the First Parliamentary Period.

Political System

Cyprus is a single democracy with a presidential system of governance. The President of the Republic of Cyprus 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 usually joins other smaller parties to form a co-operation government that adapts to parliamentary changes after parliamentary elections.

Electoral System

The 80 seats of the House of Representatives are elected by six multiple constituencies, with the number of seats distributed according to the population of each district. Of these 80 places, 56 were up for election in 2006.

Results

The election saw a high voter turnout of 87.91% (or 89.0%, depending on the source). The Progressive Workers' Party (AKEL) and the Democratic Rally both won 18 seats each out of the 56 elected members.