Cyprus in the World

The Republic of Cyprus became an independent sovereign state on 16 August 1960. Soon after independence the Republic became a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Council of Europe.

Non Proliferation and Disarmament Issues - The Republic of Cyprus fully recognizes that the uncontrolled spread of weapons, whether conventional or weapons of mass destruction, poses serious threat to international peace and security.

Cyprus is an independent, sovereign Republic with a presidential system of government. Under the 1960 Constitution, executive power is vested in the President of the Republic, elected by universal suffrage to a five-year term of office.

The Legislative Power of the Republic is exercised by the House of Representatives in all matters. Term of Office - The term of office of the House of Representatives is five years. A general election must be held on the second Sunday of the month immediately preceding the month in which the term of office of the outgoing House expires.

Independence of the Judiciary Functioning of Courts - Under the Constitution of Cyprus the judiciary is established as a separate power, independent from the other two powers of the State and autonomous in its sphere of competence, authority and jurisdiction.

Cyprus is represented in the European Union by one Commissioner and six members in the European Parliament. It has four votes in the EU’s policy-making Council of Ministers. Financial Co-operation - Since 1977 Cyprus and the then EEC signed four protocols on financial and technical co-operation providing Cyprus with aid worth around 210 million EUR in loans, grants and contributions to risk capital formation..

As far as the Cyprus problem is concerned, the EU has taken a clear and firm position in support of a solution that respects the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of the country, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and the high-level agreements.

Attorney-General of the Republic - The Attorney-General of the Republic is appointed by the President of the Republic from among lawyers of high professional and moral standard, and holds office until the age of sixty-eight.

According to the Constitution of 1960 the government of Cyprus was constituted in the following manner: Executive power: Article 1 provides that the Republic will have a President who shall be a Greek Cypriot and a Vice-President who shall be a Turkish Cypriot, elected by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities respectively.

Progressive Party of Working People - AKEL (Anorthotiko Komma Ergazomenou Laou) General Secretary: Mr. Demetris Christofias, President of the House of Representatives. Left wing party, founded in 1941, based on Marxist-Leninist principles, taking into account current international political and economic developments.