Cyprus Unitary state

History and trends

Cyprus is a Republic. Its Constitution was adopted on 16 August 1960, then amended in 1985.

Since 1974, the country has been divided between a Greek section (around 60% of its territory) and a Turkish section (35%). The British military bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia make up the remainder of the territory.

In 1983, the Turkish part of the island declared independence as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, although the state has not been recognised by the international community other than Turkey. Many Turkish Cypriots emigrated from the north to the United Kingdom, while Turks from Asia Minor settled on the island under the impetus of the Turkish government.

The capital, Nicosia, is divided into Turkish and Greek sections. Around one-quarter of Cyprus’ total population lives in the city. Conversely, the population of the mountainous areas is falling sharply. The south is significantly more prosperous than the north.

The Turks annexed Cyprus to the Ottoman Empire in 1571, and it remained that way for three centuries. In 1878, the Sultan granted Cyprus to the United Kingdom as a protectorate, although the island remained under the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire.

Cyprus was annexed by the British Empire on 5 November 1914 when the Ottoman Empire entered the war alongside Germany. The decision was ratified by the Treaty of Lausanne despite Greek protests (1924). Cyprus became a British Crown colony in 1925.

In 1947, the United Kingdom proposed a more liberal status, but this was rejected by the population, with the majority calling for union of the island with Greece (enosis).

Although the ensuing civil war, led by EOKA (National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) did not culminate in enosis, Cyprus was declared an independent republic following the London-Zürich Agreements between Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom (11 and 19 February 1959).

The decision, which would be implemented within two years, factored in British strategic interests in the eastern Mediterranean and the existence of a Turkish minority on the island. The United Kingdom retained military bases on Cyprus.

A reunification referendum was held on 24 April 2004, with the majority Greek Cypriot population voting against the proposal.

Cyprus joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. Since 1974, the north of the island – marked by the so-called “green line” that divides the Republic of Cyprus and its capital, Nicosia, from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – has been controlled by the UN. The “green line” is a demilitarised buffer zone patrolled by UN peacekeeping forces.

The principle of local self-government is recognised in the constitution of the Republic of Cyprus. The constitution also contains precise, detailed provisions governing the balance of power between the country’s Greek and Turkish communities: Article 2 of the constitution reads as follows:

“For the purposes of this Constitution:

1. the Greek Community comprises all citizens of the Republic who are of Greek origin and whose mother tongue is Greek or who share the Greek cultural traditions or who are members of the Greek-Orthodox Church;
2. the Turkish Community comprises all citizens of the Republic who are of Turkish origin and whose mother tongue is Turkish or who share the Turkish cultural traditions or who are Muslims;”

 

The Republic of Cyprus is divided into three levels of local government: districts (the devolved central government level), and municipalities and rural communities (the local governement level).

Although Cyprus does not have regions in the strict sense of the term, the territory is divided into six districts for administrative purposes – Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia and Paphos. The districts are a devolved level of central government and, as such, will form the intermediary level of governance in the following analysis.

The northern part of the island contains one entire district and parts of two others. Each district is headed by a governor, appointed by the central government. The governor is the representative of the state (as such, districts are not local governements). Each municipality has a separately elected mayor and local councillors.

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Local level :

In 2013, the Republic of Cyprus was divided into 21 municipalities and 359 rural communities (plus 9 municipalities and 135 rural communities in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, bringing the total to 524 first-tier local governements across the island). The majority of municipalities are urban areas. Rural communities are managed jointly by the governor and the elected mayor.

The principle of local self-government is recognised by both the constitution and the Municipalities and Communities Laws. Both the municipalities and communities have largely administrative powers.

Cyprus currently has 6 districts, 30 municipalities (in urban and tourist areas) and 350 communities (in rural areas). Nine of Cyprus’ 39 municipalities are located in the northern part of the island. Since 1974, they have formed part of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and, therefore, come under the sovereignty of the Cypriot government.

These municipalities maintained their legal status, even though their respective mayors and councils were temporarily moved into the “government-controlled zone”, along with the majority of their citizens.

The Dexia study found that, in addition to allocations from the central government, Cyprus’ local governments have the power to levy their own taxes and duties, which they collect themselves. In 2010, these revenues amounted to €140 million. The Council of Ministers and the House of Representatives have the power to approve municipality and community budgets.