The Cyprus Government
Cyprus will take over The Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July to December 2012. A preliminary website has been set up where you can follow the Presidency preparation activities and get the latest information. The International Conference Centre and the Philoxenia Hotel in Nicosia are being renovated and will form the heart of the EU Presidency. The Philoxenia Hotel will provide space to hold up to 350 reporters, and will be equipped with facilities that will also allow the ability for news reporters to connect to their own country’s television stations. Whilst the International Conference Centre will mainly host meetings at ministerial level, and will include restaurants and cafeterias.
The Republic of Cyprus (ROC) has 'de jure' sovereignty over the entire island of Cyprus and its surrounding waters with the exception of areas that are allocated by treaty to the United Kingdom as sovereign military bases. The ROC is 'de facto' partitioned into two main parts, the area under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus, comprising about 59% of the island's area, and the Turkish-occupied area in the north known as the TRNC, covering almost 37% of the island's area and recognised only by Turkey.
The office of President of Cyprus holds both positions of Chief of State and Head of Government. The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term. Under the 1960 constitution, the post of vice president is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot, however since December 1963, the Turkish Cypriots have had no participation in the government, thus leaving the post of Vice president vacant. In 1975, following the 1974 Turkish intervention, Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the ‘Turkish Federated State of Cyprus’, which later became the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) when the Turkish Cypriots declared their independence in 1983.
The Cabinet consists of the Council of Ministers, appointed jointly by the president and vice president. The House of Representatives has 80 seats, 56 assigned to the Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots, but only those assigned to Greek Cypriots are filled.
Presidents of Cyprus
Archbishop Makarios III - from 1960 until 15th July 1974 and 7th December 1974 until 3rd August 1977. He was both the first and the fourth president of Cyprus. In July 1974, Makarios fled to London after he was overthrown in a coup by Greek officers of the Cyprus National Guard. He returned to Cyprus five months later. Nikos Sampson was then installed as president, however it was a short lived term, as he was forced to resign eight days later due to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Glafkos Clerides then held the position of acting president until Archbishop Makarios returned. Sadly Makarios III died unexpectedly, of a heart attack, on 3rd August 1977. His funeral was held at St. John's Cathedral outside the Archbishopric in Nicosia, to which 182 dignitaries from 52 countries attended and an estimated 250,000 (or about half the Greek Cypriot population of the island) mourners filed past his coffin.
Spyros Kyprianou - from 1977 (following the death of Archbishop Mararios III) until 1988.
George Vasiliou - from 1988 until 1993.
Glafkos Clerides - from 1993 until 2003 (Two presidential terms). Mr. Clerides also served as acting President in 1974 until it was safe for the previous President, Archbishop Makarios III to return to Cyprus.
Tassos Papadopoulos - from 2003 until 2008. Sadly Mr. Papadopoulos died in the same year of his re-election defeat.
The sixth and current President of the Republic of Cyprus is Mr. Demetris Christofias who at the time of being elected was serving his second five-year term as President of the House of Representatives as well as General Secretary of the Progressive Party of the Working People or AKEL (Communist Party). Mr. Christofias is Cyprus's first communist head of state, as well as the European Union's first and so far only, communist head of state. He was sworn in as President of Cyprus on 28th February 2008 to commence his 5 year term, having won 53.37% of the vote in a second round of voting held on 24th February 2008. The next election will take place in February 2013.
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DIKO [Marios KAROYIAN]
Democratic Rally or DISY [Nikos ANASTASIADHIS]
European Democracy or EURO.DI [Prodromos PRODROMOU] (evolved from For Europe which merged with New Horizons)
European Party or EURO.KO [Demetris SYLLOURIS]
Fighting Democratic Movement or ADIK [Dinos MIKHAILIDIS]
Green Party of Cyprus [George PERDIKIS]
Movement for Social Democrats or EDEK [Yannakis OMIROU]
Political Movement of Hunters [Michalis PAFITANIS]
Progressive Party of the Working People or AKEL (Communist Party) [Dimitrios CHRISTOFIAS]
United Democrats or EDI [Michalis PAPAPETROU]
The Council of Ministers consists of some of the following Ministers;
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Finance
Minister of Interior
Minister of Defence
Minister of Education and Culture
Minister of Communications and Works
Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism
Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment
Minister of Labour and Social Insurance
Minister of Justice and Public Order
Minister of Health
Under Secretary to the President
Government Spokesman
The Protocol of the Republic of Cyprus Law 59(I) of 1996 regulates state protocol issues and defines the order of precedence of the Republic of Cyprus as follows:
1. The President of the Republic
2. The Archbishop of Cyprus
3. The President of the House of Representatives
4. Leaders or Representatives of Political Parties in Parliament
5. Former Presidents of the Republic
6. The Attorney General of the Republic
7. The President of the Supreme Court
8. The Members of the Council of Ministers
9. Spokesmen of the Political Parties in Parliament
10. Former Presidents of the House of Representatives
10A. Heads of Diplomatic Missions (Ambassadors/High Commissioners/ Chargé d’ Affaires)
11. Members of the House of Representatives
12. Leaders or Representatives of non- Parliamentary Political Parties
13. Members of the Supreme Court
14. The Government Spokesman
15. The Deputy Minister to the President of the Republic
16. The President of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities
17. Mayors
18. The Commander of the National Guard
19. The Chief of Police
20. The Deputy Attorney General
21. Former Ministers and Former Members of the House of Representatives
22. The Governor of the Central Bank
23. Counselors to the President of the Republic
24. Heads or Representatives of other Religious Groups
25. The Chairman and Members of the Public Service Commission
26. The Chairman and Members of the Education Service Commission
27. The Auditor-General
28. The Commissioner of Administration (Ombudsman)
29. The Permanent Secretaries of the House of Representatives, Ministries and Planning Bureau
30. The Secretary of the Council of Ministers
31. The Accountant-General
31Α. Consuls
32. Chairmen of Semi-Governmental Organizations
33. Directors-General of Semi-Governmental Organizations
34. Prefects of Administrative Districts of the Republic of Cyprus
35. Municipal Counselors
The Supreme Court is the Judiciary to which judges are appointed jointly by the president and vice president. Northern Cyprus also has a supreme court.
The Cyprus National Anthem was chosen on 16th November 1966, by the Council of Ministers, who took the decision that the Greek National Anthem would be adopted as the National Anthem of Cyprus. Listen to the National Anthem.
Read the Cyprus Constitution (pdf doc).