Editing Cyprus (section)

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Cyprus}}
[[File:Christodoulides2019a.jpg|150px|thumb|upright=0.5|[[Nikos Christodoulides]], [[President of Cyprus]] since February 2023]]
Cyprus is a [[presidential republic]]. The head of state and of the government is elected by a process of [[universal suffrage]] for a five-year term. Executive power is exercised by the government with legislative power vested in the [[House of Representatives (Cyprus)|House of Representatives]] whilst the Judiciary is independent of both the executive and the legislature.

The 1960 Constitution provided for a presidential system of government with independent executive, legislative and judicial branches as well as a complex system of checks and balances including a weighted power-sharing ratio designed to protect the interests of the Turkish Cypriots. The executive was led by a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice-president elected by their respective communities for five-year terms and each possessing a right of veto over certain types of legislation and executive decisions. Legislative power rested on the House of Representatives who were also elected on the basis of separate voters' rolls.

[[File:Parlanet cyprus.jpg|thumb|right|[[Presidential Palace, Nicosia]]]]

Since 1965, following clashes between the two communities, the [[Turkish Cypriot]] seats in the House have remained vacant. In 1974 Cyprus was divided de facto when the Turkish army occupied the northern third of the island. The Turkish Cypriots subsequently declared independence in 1983 as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus but were recognised only by Turkey. In 1985 the TRNC adopted a constitution and held its first elections. The United Nations recognises the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over the entire island of Cyprus.

As of 2007, the [[House of Representatives (Cyprus)|House of Representatives]] had 56 members elected for a five-year term by [[proportional representation]], and three observer members representing the [[Armenians in Cyprus|Armenian]], [[Roman Catholicism in Cyprus|Latin]] and [[Maronites in Cyprus|Maronite]] minorities. Twenty-four seats were allocated to the [[Turkish people|Turkish]] community but have remained vacant since 1964. The political environment was dominated by the communist [[Progressive Party of Working People|AKEL]], the liberal conservative [[Democratic Rally]], the [[centrism|centrist]]<ref>{{cite web |author=DotNetNuke |url=http://www.diko.org.cy/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611174508/http://www.diko.org.cy/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=24 |archive-date=11 June 2007 |title=Ιδεολογική Διακήρυξη του Δημοκρατικού Κόμματος |publisher=Diko.org.cy |language=el |access-date=6 January 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Democratic Party (Cyprus)|Democratic Party]], and the [[social democracy|social-democratic]] [[Movement for Social Democracy|EDEK]].

In 2008, [[Dimitris Christofias]] became the country's first Communist head of state. Due to his involvement in the [[2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis]], Christofias did not run for re-election in 2013. The Presidential election in 2013 resulted in [[Democratic Rally]] candidate [[Nicos Anastasiades]] winning 57.48% of the vote. As a result, Anastasiades was sworn in on 28 February 2013. Anastasiades was re-elected with 56% of the vote in the [[Cypriot presidential election, 2018|2018 presidential election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tribune.gr/world/news/article/434054/nikitis-ton-eklogon-stin-kypro-56-o-nikos-anastasiadis.html |title=Νικητής των εκλογών στην Κύπρο με 56% ο Νίκος Αναστασιάδης |first=Αίθουσα |last=Σύνταξης |date=4 February 2018 |access-date=5 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205003251/http://www.tribune.gr/world/news/article/434054/nikitis-ton-eklogon-stin-kypro-56-o-nikos-anastasiadis.html |archive-date=5 February 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17217956 |title=Cyprus country profile |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=19 October 2020 |access-date=13 July 2021 |archive-date=8 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208054957/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17217956 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 28 February 2023, [[Nikos Christodoulides]], the winner of the 2023 presidential [[2023 Cypriot presidential election|election]] run-off, was sworn in as the eighth president of the Republic of Cyprus.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Cyprus president sworn in |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230228-new-cyprus-president-sworn-in |publisher=[[France 24]] |date=28 February 2023 |language=en |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-date=28 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228220614/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230228-new-cyprus-president-sworn-in |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Districts of Cyprus|List of cities, towns and villages in Cyprus}}

The Republic of Cyprus is divided into six districts: [[Nicosia District|Nicosia]], [[Famagusta District|Famagusta]], [[Kyrenia District|Kyrenia]], [[Larnaca District|Larnaca]], [[Limassol District|Limassol]] and [[Paphos District|Paphos]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://europa.eu/abc/maps/members/cyprus_en.htm |title=EUROPA – The EU at a glance – Maps – Cyprus |publisher=Europa (web portal) |access-date=27 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418223806/http://europa.eu/abc/maps/members/cyprus_en.htm |archive-date=18 April 2009}}</ref>

{{centre|
{{image label begin |image=Cyprus districts not named.svg |width=550}}
{{Image label|x=0.34|y=0.34|scale=600 |text=[[Nicosia District|<span style="color:white;">Nicosia</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.26|y=0.48|scale=600 |text=[[Limassol District|<span style="color:white;">Limassol</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.47|y=0.44|scale=600 |text=[[Larnaca District|Larnaca]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.08|y=0.42|scale=600 |text=[[Paphos District|<span style="color:white;">Paphos</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.585|y=0.27|scale=600 |text=[[Famagusta District|<span style="color:black;">Famagusta</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.37|y=0.215|scale=600 |text=[[Kyrenia District|Kyrenia]]}}
{{image label end}}
}}
<!--
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" | District !! rowspan="2" | Capital !! rowspan="2" | Population<ref>Northern Cyprus excluded.</ref>
|-
! {{small|English}} !! {{small|Greek}} !! {{small|Turkish}}
|-
| [[Nicosia District|Nicosia]] || {{lang|el|Λευκωσία}} || {{lang|tr|Lefkoşa}} || [[Nicosia]] || 326,980
|-
| [[Limassol District|Limassol]] || {{lang|el|Λεμεσός}} || {{lang|tr|Limasol}} || [[Limassol]] || 235,330
|-
| [[Larnaca District|Larnaca]] || {{lang|el|Λάρνακα}} || {{lang|tr|Larnaka}} || [[Larnaca]] || 143,192
|-
| [[Paphos District|Paphos]] || {{lang|el|Πάφος}} || {{lang|tr|Baf}} || [[Paphos]] || 88,276
|-
| [[Famagusta District|Famagusta]] || {{lang|el|Αμμόχωστος}} || {{lang|tr|Gazimağusa}} || [[Famagusta]] || 46,629
|-
| [[Kyrenia District|Kyrenia]] || {{lang|el|Κερύvεια}} || {{lang|tr|Girne}} || [[Kyrenia]] || {{NA}}
|}
-->

===Exclaves and enclaves===
[[File:Dhekelia Power Station.jpg|thumb|[[Dhekelia Power Station]]]]

Cyprus has four [[exclave]]s, all in territory that belongs to the [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia|British Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia]]. The first two are the villages of [[Ormidhia]] and [[Xylotymvou]]. The third is the [[Dhekelia Power Station]], which is divided by a British road into two parts. The northern part is the [[Electricity Authority of Cyprus|EAC]] refugee settlement. The southern part, even though located by the sea, is also an exclave because it has no [[territorial waters]] of its own, those being UK waters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geosite.jankrogh.com/dhekelia.htm |title=Dhekelia |website=Geosite.jankrogh.com |date=30 January 2012 |access-date=28 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424181230/http://geosite.jankrogh.com/dhekelia.htm |archive-date=24 April 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|UN buffer zone]] runs up against Dhekelia and picks up again from its east side off [[Ayios Nikolaos, SBA|Ayios Nikolaos]] and is connected to the rest of Dhekelia by a thin land corridor. In that sense the buffer zone turns the [[Paralimni]] area on the southeast corner of the island into a de facto, though not [[de jure]], exclave.

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Cyprus}}

The Republic of Cyprus is a member of the following international groups: [[Australia Group]], [[Commonwealth of Nations|CN]], [[Council of Europe|CE]], [[CFSP]], [[EBRD]], [[European Investment Bank|EIB]], [[EU]], [[FAO]], [[IAEA]], [[IBRD]], [[ICAO]], [[International Chamber of Commerce|ICC]], [[International Criminal Court|ICCt]], [[International Trade Union Confederation|ITUC]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[IHO]], [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[International Meteorological Organization|IMO]], [[Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Organization for Migration|IOM]], [[Inter-Parliamentary Union|IPU]], [[ITU]], [[MIGA]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]], [[Nuclear Suppliers Group|NSG]], [[OPCW]], [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]], [[Permanent Court of Arbitration|PCA]], UN, [[UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[UNHCR]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[UPU]], [[World Confederation of Labour|WCL]], [[World Customs Organization|WCO]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[WHO]], [[WIPO]], [[WMO]], [[WToO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTO]].<ref name="CIA"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/archives/enlargement_process/past_enlargements/eu10/cyprus_en.htm |title=European Commission – Enlargement: Archives Country Profiles |publisher=Europa (web portal) |access-date=6 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204003532/http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/archives/enlargement_process/past_enlargements/eu10/cyprus_en.htm |archive-date=4 February 2009}}</ref>

Cyprus is the 88th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2024 [[Global Peace Index]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf|title=2024 Global Peace Index}}</ref>

===Military===
{{Main|Cypriot National Guard}}
[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Cyprus 7 October 2010-2.jpeg|thumb|Welcoming ceremony of the former [[president of Russia|Russian president]] [[Dmitry Medvedev]] by the soldiers of the [[Cypriot National Guard]]]]

The [[Cypriot National Guard]] is the main military institution of the Republic of Cyprus. It is a [[combined arms]] force, with land, air and naval elements. Historically all male citizens were required to spend 24 months serving in the National Guard after their 17th birthday, but in 2016 this period of compulsory service was reduced to 14 months.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://greece.greekreporter.com/2016/07/15/cyprus-drastically-reduces-mandatory-army-service-to-14-months/ |title=Cyprus Drastically Reduces Mandatory Army Service to 14 Months |first=Kerry |last=Kolasa-Sikiaridi |date=15 July 2016
|website=GreekReporter.com |access-date=21 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713184252/http://greece.greekreporter.com/2016/07/15/cyprus-drastically-reduces-mandatory-army-service-to-14-months/ |archive-date=13 July 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Annually, approximately 10,000 persons are trained in recruit centres. Depending on their awarded speciality the conscript recruits are then transferred to speciality training camps or to operational units.

While until 2016 the armed forces were mainly conscript based, since then a large professional enlisted institution has been adopted (ΣΥΟΠ), which combined with the reduction of conscript service produces an approximate 3:1 ratio between conscript and professional enlisted.

===Law, justice and human rights===
{{Main|Cyprus Police|Human rights in Cyprus}}
[[File:Supreme Court of Justice old square Nicosia Republic of Cyprus Cyprus 2.jpg|thumb|Supreme Court of Justice]]

The [[Cyprus Police]] (Greek: {{lang|el|Αστυνομία Κύπρου}}, {{langx|tr|Kıbrıs Polisi}}) is the only National Police Service of the Republic of Cyprus and is under the Ministry of Justice and Public Order since 1993.<ref>{{cite web |title= Defence – Security – Police 
|url= http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/portal/portal.nsf/0/E58D7CBF76D5A989C225701400505902?OpenDocument |publisher=Cyprus Government Web Portal
|access-date=11 October 2012}}{{Dead link |date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

In "Freedom in the World 2011", Freedom House rated Cyprus as "free".<ref>[http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2011/cyprus Freedom in the World 2011 Report > Cyprus] ({{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307040239/http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2011/cyprus |date=7 March 2013}}). Retrieved 28 June 2013. Also, p.&nbsp;29.</ref> In January 2011, the Report of the Office of the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] on the question of Human Rights in Cyprus noted that the ongoing division of Cyprus continues to affect human rights throughout the island "including freedom of movement, human rights pertaining to the question of missing persons, discrimination, the right to life, freedom of religion, and economic, social and cultural rights".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/16session/A-HRC-16-21.pdf |title=Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the question of human rights in Cyprus: 16th Session, Human Rights Council, United Nations |date=7 January 2011 |publisher=Ohchr.org |access-date=14 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731132114/http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/16session/A-HRC-16-21.pdf |archive-date=31 July 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The constant focus on the division of the island can sometimes mask other human rights issues.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.asylumlaw.org/docs/cyprus/usdos99_cyprus.htm |title=US Department of State Report on Human Rights in Cyprus |newspaper=Xpats.io |date=11 January 2010 |publisher=Asylumlaw.org |access-date=2010-11-17}}</ref> Prostitution is rife, and the island has been criticized for its role in the sex trade as one of the main routes of [[human trafficking]] from Eastern Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=26259&cat_id=1 |title=US report raps Cyprus over battle on flesh trade |author=Jean Christou |publisher=cyprus-mail.com |access-date=2007-10-13 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014803/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=26259&cat_id=1 |archive-date = 30 September 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=24784&cat_id=9 |title=A shame on our society |author=Jacqueline Theodoulou |publisher=cyprus-mail.com |access-date=2007-10-13 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927202918/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=24784&cat_id=9 |archive-date = 27 September 2007}}</ref>

In 2014, Turkey was ordered by the [[European Court of Human Rights]] to pay well over $100m in compensation to Cyprus for the invasion;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Borger |first=Julian |date=12 May 2014 |title = European court orders Turkey to pay damages for Cyprus invasion |url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/may/12/european-court-human-rights-turkey-compensation-cyprus-invasion |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=8 April 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150414060240/http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/may/12/european-court-human-rights-turkey-compensation-cyprus-invasion |archive-date=14 April 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Ankara]] announced that it would ignore the judgment.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Karadeniz |first1=Tulay |last2=Tokasabay |first2=Ece |date=13 May 2014 |title=Turkey to ignore court order to pay compensation to Cyprus |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-cyprus-davutoglu-idUSBREA4C0AX20140513 | work=Reuters |access-date=7 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924200741/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-turkey-cyprus-davutoglu-idUSBREA4C0AX20140513 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014, a group of Cypriot refugees and a European parliamentarian, later joined by the Cypriot government, filed a complaint to the International Court of Justice, accusing Turkey of violating the [[Geneva Conventions]] by directly or indirectly transferring [[Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus|its civilian population]] into occupied territory.{{citation needed |date=September 2018}} Other violations of the Geneva and the Hague Conventions—both ratified by Turkey—amount to what archaeologist Sophocles Hadjisavvas called "the organised destruction of Greek and Christian heritage in the north".<ref name="Hadjisavvas 2015" /> These violations include looting of cultural treasures, deliberate destruction of churches, neglect of works of art, and altering the names of important historical sites, which was condemned by the [[International Council on Monuments and Sites]]. Hadjisavvas has asserted that these actions are motivated by a Turkish policy of erasing the Greek presence in Northern Cyprus within a framework of ethnic cleansing. But some perpetrators are just motivated by greed and are seeking profit.<ref name="Hadjisavvas 2015">{{cite journal |last=Hadjisavvas |first=S. |year=2015 |title=Perishing Heritage: The Case of the Occupied Part of Cyprus |jstor=10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.3.2.0128 |journal=Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies |volume=3 |number=2 |pages=128–140 |doi=10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.3.2.0128}} Quote on p.&nbsp;129: "the deliberate destruction of [Greek] heritage as an instrument toward the obliteration of an identity of a people in the framework of ethnic cleansing."</ref> Art law expert Alessandro Chechi has classified the connection of cultural heritage destruction to ethnic cleansing as the "Greek Cypriot viewpoint", which he reports as having been dismissed by two [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe|PACE]] reports. Chechi asserts joint Greek and Turkish Cypriot responsibility for the destruction of cultural heritage in Cyprus, noting the destruction of Turkish Cypriot heritage in the hands of Greek Cypriot extremists.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chechi |first1=Alessandro |editor1-last=Benzo |editor1-first=Andrea |editor2-last=Ferrari |editor2-first=Silvio |title=Between Cultural Diversity and Common Heritage: Legal and Religious Perspectives on the Sacred Places of the Mediterranean |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |pages=314–316 |chapter=Sacred heritage in Cyprus: bolstering protection through the implementation of international law standards and the adoption of an object-oriented approach}}</ref>