Voters in the island nation of Cyprus elect a new parliament on Sunday, with opinion polls pointing to a close race between the conservative Democratic Rally and the left-wing Progressive Party of Working People.
Seventeen parties are competing for the votes of around 569,000 eligible voters in the EU country.
The election is not expected to have a major impact on politics, however, as executive power in Cyprus lies with the president, who is directly elected by the public.
Conservative President Nikos Christodoulides, who has been in office since 2023, forms and leads the government, while parliament mainly performs an oversight role.
The vote is therefore being closely watched as an important barometer of the public's mood ahead of the 2028 presidential election, in which Christodoulides is eligible to run.
Polling stations are due to open at 7 am (0400 GMT) and close at 6 pm.
Initial exit polls are expected immediately after voting ends, with preliminary official results forecast by around 1730 GMT.
