The Ministry of the Interior, in a statement, responded to Ms. Anastasia Anthousi, a candidate in the 2026 parliamentary elections, rejecting her claim that she did not receive satisfactory answers regarding the error involving five votes cast at a polling station in the Nicosia District and that she was not given explanationsor that information was withheld by the Ministry.
Ms. Anthousi, it should be recalled, had previously announced in a written statement the withdrawal of her appeal to the Electoral Court regarding the five-vote error that had occurred at a polling station in Nicosia. As she herself stated, “more than three months after filing her appeal” with the Electoral Court over an “error” of five votes that triggered a chain reaction of changes in the allocation of four seats across four districts, she is forced to withdraw it.
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“However, I must explain why I made this decision, given that I received absolutely no convincing explanation for the ‘error.’ My appeal sought a recount of a specific ballot box. This is the only reliable way to answer the question of whether a “error,” which, curiously, was identified only after the election representatives—who had confirmed the initial result in writing—had already left the polling station in question.”
It should be noted that the discrepancy that affected the final distribution of seats resulted from a correction to the results at a specific polling station in the Nicosia District, after an error was discovered during the counting process. Specifically, five ballots containing votes for the EDEK Socialist Party ticket had initially been counted by mistake along with the ballots for the National Popular Front (ELAM) and were subsequently corrected, as evidenced by the official vote tally sheet and the required checks of the electoral process. This fact has been repeatedly explained by the Ministry of the Interior, as the Ministry itself notes in its response.
In response to Ms. Anthousi’s public statement, following the withdrawal of the election petition she had filed with the Electoral Court, the Ministry of the Interior emphasizes that it deems it necessary “to set the record straight and to safeguard citizens’ trust in the electoral process, to reiterate certain facts, which have already been explained both publicly and directly to her and her legal advisors.”
“The discrepancy that affected the final allocation of seats resulted from a correction to the results at a specific polling station in the Nicosia District, following the discovery of an error during the counting process. Specifically, five ballots containing votes for the EDEK Socialist Party ticket were mistakenly counted initially along with the ballots for the National Popular Front (ELAM) and were subsequently corrected, as evidenced by the official vote tally sheet and the required checks of the electoral process.
This fact has been repeatedly explained by the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry rejects the claim that no explanations were provided or that information was withheld. On the contrary, immediately after the elections and before the filing of any election petition, the Ministry provided the petitioner’s attorneys with a detailed written briefing regarding the process for registering and verifying the results, the corrections made, the time of their entry, and the legal framework governing the electoral process.
At the same time, the affected political parties were also informed when requested. Specifically, the Ministry explained that the results released on election night are unofficial results, which are subject to verification and possible corrections until all required verification procedures are completed. It was also clarified that corrections to results have historically been part of the electoral process when a discrepancy is found between the initial data transmitted and the official tally documents.
Regarding the request to open the ballot box and recount the ballots, the Ministry notes that the relevant procedure is governed by election law. Inspection of the contents of a ballot box or a recount of votes cannot be carried out pursuant to an administrative decision by the Ministry of the Interior, the General Election Commissioner, or any other administrative body. According to the law, this authority rests with the Electoral Court, within the framework of an electoral petition—a procedure that the petitioner herself chose to initiate.
Therefore, the claim that the State or the Ministry of the Interior obstructed a request for a recount of the votes does not correspond to reality. On the contrary, the provisions of the applicable law were applied, which stipulate that such a measure may be ordered only by the Electoral Court. Consequently, the petitioner could await the completion of the review of her election petition and the issuance of a decision on her requests by the Electoral Court. The Ministry of the Interior points out that, since the case was brought before the courts, it had an obligation, like any public authority, to cooperate fully with the Legal Service of the Republic and to assist in presenting the facts before the competent court. Adherence to due process does not constitute a lack of transparency, but rather respect for institutions and the rule of law.”
The Ministry of the Interior concludes by stating that “it remains committed to ensuring fair, reliable, and transparent electoral processes. The 2026 parliamentary elections were conducted under the existing legal framework, with multiple levels of oversight, verification, and accountability. Maintaining citizens’ trust in democratic institutions requires an accurate presentation of the facts, not the creation of doubts that are not based on actual data.”
READ ALSO: “I Am Being Asked to Prove Myself What Happened”: Anthousi Explains Why She Withdrew the Request for a Recount | AlphaNews
