ABSTRACT
Local elections were introduced 25 years after Cyprus gained its independence (1960) and have since been functioning as second-order elections, expanding the impact of national parties over local society. Until recently, local elections served as the testing ground for the presidential elections, enabling parties to test their proposed alliances. In terms of vertical integration, similar patterns between local and national elections are observed, such as a coinciding decline in voter turnout, which is, however, higher in local elections. Other similarities include high party politicization, a constant underrepresentation of women, and a continuous dominance of national lists. These are attributed to the small size of Cyprus and to restrictions in public funding. Cypriot municipalities demonstrate homogeneity in terms of horizontal variation, mainly in the form of the strong position of the mayor.
