A new era dawns on Sunday for Local Government in Cyprus and a new era for the country, President Nikos Christodoulides, said in a message on Wednesday, urging citizens to cast their vote.

In a post and video message on the Cyprus Presidency's account on platform "X", President Christodoulides said that "June 9th is a milestone for Local Government and for our country", adding that "these are the first elections to be held in the context of the Reform, for the successful implementation of which we have worked hard from day one and which aims to upgrade local government, modernise the services provided and of course improve the daily lives of citizens."

"We support this great change with as much participation as possible", the President of the Republic said, calling on citizens to cast their vote to shape their future.

At the same time, President Christodoulides continued, mass participation in the elections for the Turkish occupied municipalities and communities is of particular importance.

"It sends a strong message of our real and sincere interest in the resolution of the Cyprus problem and the reunification of our country," he noted.

"A new era dawns on Sunday for the Local Government of Cyprus and a new era for the country", the President concluded.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. Last January, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.