1. POLITICS OF CYPRUS
Benedict (Viktor) Gombocz

2. Geography of Cyprus
 Location: Middle East, island in the
Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
 Area:
 Total: 9,251 sq km (3,355 sq km of which are
in north Cyprus)
 Country comparison to the world: 171
 Land: 9,241 sq km
 Water: 10 sq km
 Area – comparative: approximately 0.6
times the size of Connecticut
 Land boundaries:
 Total: 150.4 km (approximately)
 Border sovereign base areas: Akrotiri 47.4
km, Dhekelia 103 km (approximately)
 Coastline: 648 km

3. Physical Map of Cyprus

4. Introduction to Cyprus’ political
system
 Politics of the Republic of Cyprus function in a structure of a presidential representative
democratic republic, with the President of Cyprus acting as both head of state and head of
government, and of a multi-party structure.
 The government exercises executive power; legislative power is vested in both the
government and the House of Representatives.
 The Judiciary is independent of both the executive and the legislature.
 Cyprus is a divided island; since 1974, the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus
has occupied the south two-thirds, and the Turkish occupied and controlled Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (not officially recognized by any country other than Turkey)
the northern one-third.
 The Government of the Republic of Cyprus continues as the only internationally-
recognized power on the island (in addition to the UK’s international recognition as regards
the SBAs), but in reality, its power only expands to the government occupied portion.

5. Cyprus’ political system: Government of
Cyprus
 Capital (and largest city): Nicosia
 Official languages: Greek, Turkish
 Minority languages: Armenian, Cypriot
Maronite Arabic
 Demonym: Cypriot
 Government: Unitary presidential
constitutional republic
 President: Nicos Anastasiades
 Legislature: House of Representatives

6. Cyprus’ political system:
Constitution
 The constitution of 16 August 1960 predicted share of power between the Greek
Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots.
 Attempts to reform the constitution led to the intercommunal conflict in 1963.
 This constitution is still in use, despite a lack of Turkish Cypriot presence in Cyprus’
government.

7. Cyprus’ political system: Executive
branch
 Office: President
 Name: Nicos Anastasiades
 Party: Democratic Rally
 Since: 28 February 2013
 Elected by popular vote to a five-year term,
the president acts as both chief of state
and head of government.
 The post of VP is currently unoccupied;
under the constitution of 1960, that post is
set aside for a Turkish Cypriot.
 The President and the VP nominate the
Council of Ministers together.
Main office holders
Duties of the main office
holders

8. Cyprus’ political system: Legislative
branch
 The House of Representatives
(Βουλή των Αντιπροςώπων - Vouli
Antiprosópon/ Temsilciler Meclisi) is
composed of 59 members elected to
a five-year term: 56 Greek Cypriot
members selected through
proportional representation and 3
observer members who represent the
Maronite, Roman Catholic, and
Armenian minorities.
 24 seats are distributed to the
Turkish community, but they are at
present unoccupied.

9. Cyprus’ political system: Parliamentary
parties
 Democratic Rally (Δεκοθραηηθός ΢σλαγερκός,
ΔΗ΢Υ; Dimokratikós Sinayermós, DISY)
 Progressive Party of Working People
(Αλορζωηηθό Κόκκα Εργαδόκελοσ Λαού,
ΑΚΕΛ; Anorthotikó Kómma Ergazómenou
Laoú, AKEL)
 Democratic Party (Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα, ΔΗKΟ;
Dimokratikó Kómma, DIKO)
 Movement for Social Democracy (Κηλήκα
΢οζηαιδεκοθραηώλ, ΕΔΕΚ; Kinima
Sosialdimokraton, EDEK)
 European Party (Εσρωπαϊθό Κόκκα,
ΕΥΡΩΚΟ; Evropaiko Komma, EVROKO)
 Ecological and Environmental Movement
(Κίλεκα Οηθοιόγωλ Περηβαιιοληηζηώλ, KOΠ;
Kinima Oikologon Perivallontiston, KOP)

10. Cyprus’ political system: Administrative
divisions
 Cyprus is split into six districts:
Famagusta (Ammochostos), Kyrenia,
Larnaca, Limassol (Lemesos), Nicosia
(Lefkosia), Paphos (note – occupied
area’s administrative divisions includes
Kyrenia, excluding a small part of
Famagusta (Ammochostos), and small
parts of Lefkosia (Nicosia), and
Larnaca.

11. Nicos Anastasiades
 Born 27 September 1946 in Pera Pedi.
 7th and current President of Cyprus;
assumed office on 28 February 2013.
 Previously served as the leader of the right
of center political party Democratic Rally
(DISY) from 8 June 1997-28 February
2013.
 Is a lawyer by occupation and the founder
of law firm "Nicos Chr. Anastasiades &
Partners".
 Graduated in law from the National and
Kapodistrian University of Athens; finished
postgraduate studies in shipping law at
University College London.
 During his university studies, h was a
member of the Centre Coalition based in
Athens formed by Georgios Papandreou.
 Was first elected as a member of the
House of Representatives in 1981.

12. Democratic Rally
 Conservative, Christian-democratic political party in Cyprus, led by
Nicos Anastasiades, the current president of the Republic of
Cyprus.
 Founded on 4 July 1976 by veteran politican Glafkos Klerides, who
later served as the president of Cyprus from 1993-2003.
 Member of Centrist Democrat International and International
Democrat Union (both international affiliation) and European
People’s Party (EPP, European affiliation and EP group).
 Won 28.2% of the vote in the 2004 EP election in Cyprus; elected
2 MEPs, Ioannis Casoulides and Panayiotis Demetriou, who joined
the EPP-ED Group, together with ex-DISY president Yannakis
Matsis.
 Its leader advocated the Annan Plan for the re-unification of
Cyprus.
 After the refusal by the Greek Cypriot community, four MPs
(Sillouris, Prodromou, Erotokritou, Taramoundas) who were in
opposition to the party line were banned from the party and
numerous members freely resigned; the banned MPs founded a
party called European Democracy.
 European Democracy joined New Horizons in 2005 and founded
European Party.
 Ex-party president Yiannakis Matsis presided over a splinter
coalition For Europe in the EP election; he won a seat in the EP
and joined the EPP group (he is still a DISY member).
 Won 30.52% and 18/56 seats in the 21 May 2006 elections, and
34.27% and 20/56 seats in the 22 May 2011 elections.
 Its candidate in the 2013 presidential election, Nicos
Anastasiades, won that election.

13. Nicosia

14. The End (Το τέλοσ,Sonunda)