1896 Cypriot legislative election

Legislative elections were held in Cyprus between 4 and 6 November 1896.

Electoral system
The Legislative Council consisted of six official members appointed by the High Commissioner and twelve elected members, three of which were Muslims and nine of which were non-Muslims.

The island was divided into three constituencies, each formed of two districts. Each constituency elected one Muslim and three non-Muslims. Muslim voters had one vote, whilst non-Muslims could vote for up to three candidates. Due to the high levels of illiteracy, voting was not secret, with voters required to tell the polling officers their candidates of choice, which they were required to do in front of the candidates or their agents.

Suffrage was limited to men aged over 21 who had been permanent residents during the five years prior to the elections, and who had paid either the verghi tax (which was levied as an annual payment of one four-thousandth of a property's value, 4% of rental income or 3% on profits or salaries) or rent for a dwelling or shop within the last year. The number of registered voters for the non-Muslim seats increased from 10,030 in 1891 to 12,093, while the number of Muslim voters increased from 2,303 to 2,670.

Muslim
The Larnaca–Famagusta constituency was contested by Evkaf official Ahmed Nafiz, lawyer Ahmed Mumtaz, Ahmed Naim and editor of the Zaman newspaper Ahmed Dervish.

The Limassol–Paphos constituency was contested by lawyer Ahmed Rashid Hadji Mehmet, landowner Emin Moustafa and merchant Hafuz Ramadan Eyoub.

The Nicosia–Kyrenia constituency was contested by incumbent MLC Hadji Hafuz Zyai, Mehmed Faik Bey, Abdullah Nadri and Hadji Halil Effendi Mehmed.

Non-Muslim
For the first time since the 1883 elections, all three non-Muslim seats were contested.

Muslim seats
In the Muslim seats, 1,540 of the 2,670 registered voters voted.

Non-Muslim seats
Voting took place in Nicosia–Kyrenia on 4 November, in Larnaca–Famagusta on 5 and 6 November and in Limassol–Paphos on 6 November.

Aftermath
All non-Muslim elected members saw out their full five-year terms until the next elections in 1901.