According to the government report, Cyprus is slowly moving from being a “totalitarian” state towards adopting democratic values and practices.
Until now, the principle of compulsory voting existed on the island: Cyprus citizens were obliged to attend elections and cast their vote, failure to do so would result in fine of 340 euro. Government emphasized the need of adopting new regulations, which are in line with the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus.
Based on the preliminary agreements, the Cabinet of Ministers of Cyprus adopted a bill on abolition of compulsory voting practices. The Minister of Internal Affairs has also stated that “the right to vote must be free and voluntary, but not punishable”. Eltoma-global notes that, the presence of compulsory voting requirement in the national legislation indicates the failure of the country to adopt democratic values and can be classified as totalitarian state.