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Political View
Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, with the UK,
Greece and Turkey retaining limited rights to intervene in internal affairs.
The Republic of Cyprus is the internationally recognised government of the
island, and it controls the southern two-thirds of the island. Almost all
foreign governments and the United Nations recognise the sovereignty of
the Republic of Cyprus over the whole island of Cyprus.
Turkish Cypriots, together with Turkey, do not accept the Republic's rule
over the whole island and call it the "Greek Authority of Southern Cyprus".
They control the northern third of the island, following a military invasion
by Turkey in 1974.
This happened following a coup sponsored by the military regime of Greece,
see: the 1974 crisis between Greece and Turkey. The Turkish Cypriot area
proclaimed its independence in 1975, and the self-styled Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus was established in 1983. This state was recognised only
by Turkey. Furthermore, Organization of the Islamic Conference granted it
observer member status under the name of "Turkish Cypriot State".
The other power with territory on Cyprus is the United Kingdom. Under the
independence agreement, the UK retained title to two small areas on the
southern coast of the island, around Akrotiri and Dhekelia, known collectively
as the UK sovereign base areas. They are used to host military bases. After
independence, Cyprus became a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement
despite all three guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey and the UK) being NATO
members. Cyprus left the Non-Aligned Movement in 2004 to join the EU.
Since 1974, Cyprus has been divided de facto into the government-controlled
southern two-thirds of the island and the Turkish-Cypriot northern one-third.
The Government of the Republic of Cyprus has continued as the internationally
recognised authority; in practice, its power extends only to the Greek Cypriot-controlled
areas. The 1960 Cypriot 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, for example, was headed by a Greek Cypriot president and
a Turkish Cypriot vice president, elected by their respective communities
for 5-year terms and each possessing a right of veto over certain types
of legislation and executive decisions. The House of Representatives was
elected on the basis of separate voters' rolls. Since 1964, following clashes
between the two communities the Turkish seats in the House have been vacant
and the Greek Cypriot Communal Chamber was abolished.
The responsibilities of the chamber were transferred to the newly founded
Ministry of Education. In 1974, following a coup intrigued by CIA and executed
by the Greek Junta - then in control of the National Guard and the military
invasion of Turkish forces (claiming their authority was as one of the 3
international guarantors of Cyprus), 195,000 majority Greek Cypriots were
forcibly expelled from the north and 55,000 Turkish Cypriots from the south
were moved to the north.
Ever since, Turkish Cypriots unilaterally set up their own institutions
with a popularly elected president and a Prime Minister responsible to the
National Assembly exercising joint executive powers.
In 1983, the Turkish Cypriots declared an independent "Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC,) contrary to numerous UN Security Council resolutions
calling such an act as illegal and a by-product of a foreign (Turkish) intervention.
In 1985, they adopted a constitution and held elections – an arrangement
recognised only by Turkey.
The above information is taken from the Wikipedia
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Investment Property In Cyprus - Partner Programme
Overseas property ownership jumps
45%
Over the last two years the number of overseas property owners
has increased by a staggering 45%, with 250,000 more households
now owning an overseas property than in June 2004.
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