H.E. Dr. Michalis Stavrinos:

Regarding the questions posed by Senator Hayden on the extent to which voter support is influencing others, it has not been calculated how much external voters influence others because the ballots are mixed with home constituencies after being sent to the capital. This is done to preserve anonymity, confidentiality and privacy. Being a small country with a large diaspora, like Ireland, it is possible for such an eventuality to take place despite the relatively small number of expatriates showing interest in voting in Cyprus. I share the overall views expressed by our Spanish colleague. This exercise is very useful yet, as the presentations and the debate that followed show, each country has its own special circumstances. For this reason, the issue remains within national competence.