President of Cyprus

Last updated

President of the Republic of Cyprus
Πρόεδρος της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας (Greek)
Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı (Turkish)
Presidential Standard of Cyprus.svg
Presidential standard of Cyprus
President Christodoulides (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Nikos Christodoulides
since 28 February 2023
Executive branch of the Government of Cyprus
Style Mr President (informal)
His Excellency (diplomatic)
Status Head of state
Head of government
Commander-in-chief
Member of European Council
Residence Presidential Palace
Seat Nicosia, Cyprus
Appointer Popular vote
Term length Five years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument Cypriot Constitution
Formation16 August 1960;63 years ago (1960-08-16)
First holder Makarios III
Deputy Vice President of Cyprus (de jure)
President of the House of Representatives (de facto)
Salary119,000 EUR annually [1]
Website www.presidency.gov.cy

The President of Cyprus, officially the President of the Republic of Cyprus, [lower-alpha 1] is the head of state and the head of government of Cyprus, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Cypriot National Guard. The office was established by the Constitution of 1960, after Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom.

Contents

The combination of the role of head of state and that of government is unique among member states of the European Union, making Cyprus the only EU state with a full presidential system of government.

The constitution, which was negotiated during the London and Zürich Agreements that divided power between the Greek Cypriot community and Turkish Cypriot community, requires the president to be a Greek Cypriot. Other requirements are that the officeholder must be over the age of thirty-five and elected directly in a two-round system. The president's term lasts for five years, and in accordance with the thirteenth amendment to the constitution, no person can serve more than two consecutive terms.

Nikos Christodoulides is the eighth and current president of Cyprus, having assumed office on 28 February 2023.

Powers and limitations

According to the Constitution, the president of the Republic is the head of state, and is elected for a five year term through direct, universal and secret ballot.

Among the most important powers granted to the president of the Republic by the Constitution, are the power to put into effect laws passed by the House of Representatives or the right of veto to prevent legislation passed by the House from being enacted, if a given law concerns issues of the external policy, security and defence of the Republic, the right to refer such legislation back to the legislative body, as well as the right to refer it to the Supreme Court for the purposes of checking its constitutionality.

In addition, the president convenes the meetings of the Council of Ministers and draws up their agenda, while maintaining the right of veto for council meetings as well, provided that they concern issues of external policy, security and defence of the Republic, as well as the right to refer them back to the aforementioned body.

Today, under the doctrine of necessity, the president appoints eleven ministers, who constitute the country's Cabinet, and with the exception of the powers reserved by the constitution explicitly for the president and vice president of the Republic, exercise the executive authority of the state.

Furthermore, the Constitution grants the president the power to unilaterally appoint independent state officials and Supreme Court judges.

There are two ways for the president of the Republic to be removed from office. In the first case, they must be convicted by the Supreme Court for high treason, following prosecution by the prosecutor general and the deputy prosecutor general, which has to be approved by a resolution of at least three-quarters of members of parliament. In the second case, they must be convicted of a dishonorable offense or an offense of moral turpitude, following prosecution by the prosecutor general and the deputy prosecutor general, which has to be approved by the president of the Supreme Court.

List

Key

§ Elected unopposed
† Died in office

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
TermPolitical PartyElected
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1
Makarios III and Robert F. Wagner NYWTS cropped.jpg
Archbishop
Makarios III
(1913–1977)
16 August 196015 July 1974
(deposed)
13 years, 333 days Independent 1959
1968
1973 [§]
No image.png
Nikos Sampson
(1935–2001)
15 July 197423 July 19748 days
(De facto, Acting)
Progressive Front
Kliridis.jpg
Glafcos Clerides
(1919–2013)
23 July 19747 December 1974137 days
(Acting)
Eniaion
(1)
Makarios III and Robert F. Wagner NYWTS cropped.jpg
Archbishop
Makarios III
(1913–1977)
7 December 1974
(restored)
3 August 1977 †2 years, 239 days Independent
2
Spyros Kyprianou UN (cropped).jpg
Spyros Kyprianou
(1932–2002)
3 August 197728 February 198810 years, 209 days
(Acting for first 209 days)
DIKO 1978 [§]
1983
3
George Vassiliou.jpg
George Vassiliou
(born 1931)
28 February 198828 February 19935 years Independent 1988
4
Kliridis.jpg
Glafcos Clerides
(1919–2013)
28 February 199328 February 200310 years DISY 1993
1998
5
Tassos Papadopoulos.jpg
Tassos Papadopoulos
(1934–2008)
28 February 200328 February 20085 years DIKO 2003
6
Demetris Christofias in February 2011.jpg
Demetris Christofias
(1946–2019)
28 February 200828 February 20135 years AKEL 2008
7
Nicos Anastasiades, November 2022 (ABG GPO1).jpeg
Nicos Anastasiades
(born 1946)
28 February 201328 February 202310 years DISY 2013
2018
8
Nikos Christodoulidis, 23.03.23.jpg
Nikos Christodoulides
(born 1973)
28 February 2023Incumbent1 year, 8 days Independent 2023

Timeline

Nikos ChristodoulidesNicos AnastasiadesDemetris ChristofiasTassos PapadopoulosGlafcos CleridesGeorge VasiliouSpyros KyprianouMakarios IIIPresident of Cyprus

Latest election

CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Nikos Christodoulides Independent [lower-alpha 2] 127,30932.04204,86751.97
Andreas Mavroyiannis Independent [lower-alpha 3] 117,55129.59189,33548.03
Averof Neofytou Democratic Rally 103,74826.11
Christos Christou National Popular Front 23,9886.04
Achilleas DemetriadesIndependent [lower-alpha 4] 8,1372.05
Constantinos Christofides New Wave – The Other Cyprus 6,3261.59
Georgios ColocassidesIndependent5,2871.33
Alexios SavvidesIndependent2,3950.60
Charalampos AristotelousIndependent8660.22
Celestina de PetroIndependent5750.14
Andronicos ZervidesIndependent3410.09
Ioulia Khovrina KomninouUnited Cyprus Republican Party3300.08
Andreas Efstratiou Independent2990.08
Loukas StavrouNational Communitarian Reconstruction1650.04
Total397,317100.00394,202100.00
Valid votes397,31798.27394,20296.95
Invalid votes5,3331.328,4282.07
Blank votes1,6710.413,9860.98
Total votes404,321100.00406,616100.00
Registered voters/turnout561,27372.04561,27372.45
Source: Central Electoral Service, Central Electoral Service

Statistics

#PresidentDate of birthAge at inauguration
(first term)
Time in office
(total)
Age at retirement
(last term)
Date of deathLongevity
1 Makarios III 13 August 191347 years, 3 days16 years, 211 days63 years, 355 days3 August 1977
2 Spyros Kyprianou 28 October 193244 years, 310 days10 years, 178 days55 years, 123 days12 March 2002
3 Georgios Vassiliou 20 May 193156 years, 284 days5 years, 0 days61 years, 284 daysLiving
4 Glafcos Clerides 24 April 191973 years, 310 days10 years, 0 days83 years, 310 days15 November 2013
5 Tassos Papadopoulos 7 January 193469 years, 52 days5 years, 0 days74 years, 52 days12 December 2008
6 Demetris Christofias 29 August 194661 years, 183 days5 years, 0 days66 years, 183 days21 June 2019
7 Nicos Anastasiades 27 September 194666 years, 154 days10 years, 0 days76 years, 154 daysLiving
8 Nikos Christodoulides 6 December 197349 years, 85 days1 year, 8 days (Ongoing)IncumbentLiving

See also

Notes

    • Greek: Πρόεδρος της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας, romanized: Próedros tis Kypriakís Dimokratías
    • Turkish: Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı
  1. Supported by DIKO, EDEK, DIPA, Solidarity, Active Citizens – United Cypriot Hunters Movement and Animal Party Cyprus
  2. Supported by AKEL and Generation Change
  3. Supported by Famagusta for Cyprus

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Article One of the United States Constitution</span> Portion of the US Constitution regarding Congress as right

Article One of the Constitution of the United States establishes the legislative branch of the federal government, the United States Congress. Under Article One, Congress is a bicameral legislature consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Article One grants Congress various enumerated powers and the ability to pass laws "necessary and proper" to carry out those powers. Article One also establishes the procedures for passing a bill and places various limits on the powers of Congress and the states from abusing their powers.

In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enforcement, prosecutions or even responsibility for legal affairs generally. In practice, the extent to which the attorney general personally provides legal advice to the government varies between jurisdictions, and even between individual office-holders within the same jurisdiction, often depending on the level and nature of the office-holder's prior legal experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Azerbaijan</span>

The Politics of Azerbaijan take place in an authoritarian system where elections are not free and fair, political opponents are repressed, civil rights are limited, human rights abuses are widespread, corruption is rampant, and power is concentrated in the hands of President Ilham Aliyev and his extended family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Iceland</span> Head of state of Iceland

The president of Iceland is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, who is now in his second term as president, elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal government of the United States</span> National government of the United States

The federal government of the United States is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, five major self-governing territories, several island possessions, and the federal district and national capital of Washington, D.C., where most of the federal government is based.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Finland</span> Head of state of Finland

The president of the Republic of Finland is the head of state of Finland. The incumbent president is Alexander Stubb, since 1 March 2024. He was elected president for the first time in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor of Indiana</span> Head of state and government of the U.S. state of Indiana

The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the U.S. state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide executive officers, who manage other state government agencies. The governor works out of the Indiana Statehouse and holds official functions at the Indiana Governor's Residence in the state capital of Indianapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Greece</span> Head of government of Greece

The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic, colloquially referred to as the prime minister of Greece, is the head of government of the Hellenic Republic and the leader of the Greek Cabinet.

A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Hungary</span> Head of state of Hungary

The president of Hungary, officially the president of the republic, is the head of state of Hungary. The office has a largely ceremonial (figurehead) role, but may also veto legislation or send legislation to the Constitutional Court for review. Most other executive powers, such as selecting government ministers and leading legislative initiatives, are vested in the office of the prime minister instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prosecutor</span> Legal profession

A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial against the defendant, an individual accused of breaking the law. Typically, the prosecutor represents the state or the government in the case brought against the accused person.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Greece</span> Head of state of Greece

The president of Greece, officially the President of the Hellenic Republic, commonly referred to in Greek as the President of the Republic, is the head of state of Greece. The president is elected by the Hellenic Parliament; the role has been mainly ceremonial since the 1986 constitutional reform. The office was formally established by the Constitution of Greece in 1975, but has antecedents in the Second Hellenic Republic of 1924–1935 and the Greek junta in 1973–1974 which predated the transition to the current Third Hellenic Republic. The incumbent, since 13 March 2020, is Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christos Sartzetakis</span> Greek jurist and politician; President of Greece (1929–2022)

Christos Sartzetakis was a Greek jurist and a supreme justice of the Court of Cassation, who served as the president of Greece from 1985 to 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judicial system of Finland</span> National court system of Finland

Under the Constitution of Finland, everyone is entitled to have their case heard by a court or an authority appropriately and without undue delay. This is achieved through the judicial system of Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judiciary of Israel</span> Part of the article of the series of government of Israel

The judicial system of Israel consists of secular courts and religious courts. The law courts constitute a separate and independent unit of Israel's Ministry of Justice. The system is headed by the President of the Supreme Court and the Minister of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Representatives (Cyprus)</span> Congress of the Republic of Cyprus

The House of Representatives is the national unicameral legislature of the Republic of Cyprus. Members and three observers representing Armenian, Latin, and Maronite Cypriots are elected by proportional representation every five years. 30% of seats are allocated to Turkish Cypriots, but these have been vacant since 1964. The House of Representatives of Cyprus is the only legislature in Europe within a fully presidential system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Cyprus</span>

The Constitution of Cyprus is a document, ratified on August 16, 1960, that serves as the Supreme Law of the Republic of Cyprus defining the system of government of the Cypriot Republic and the civil liberties for the Cypriot citizens. Cypriot government. It was drafted after the country won its independence in 1959 and is Cyprus's first and only constitution to date. The Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus has been in force for 63 years and it has been amended 18 (eighteen) times and 28 Articles of the 199 were modified since 1960. The 18th Amendment concerned Article 111.

The Governance of Kosovo operates in the context of the disputed territory of Kosovo.

The governor of Rivers State is the chief executive of the Rivers State government and is one of the governors of the thirty-six states of Nigeria. The governor is supported by the deputy governor, both popularly elected for a term of four years. The governor, as head of the executive branch, has the power to appoint commissioners responsible for each of the state's ministries, the heads of parastatals, judicial officers and the state-owned bodies with specific regulatory or administrative duties. They cannot be a member of the state House of Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katerina Sakellaropoulou</span> President of Greece since 2020

Katerina Sakellaropoulou is a Greek judge who has been the president of Greece since 13 March 2020. She was elected by the Hellenic Parliament to succeed Prokopis Pavlopoulos on 22 January 2020. Prior to her election as president, Sakellaropoulou served as president of the Council of State, the highest administrative court of Greece. She is the country's first female president.

References

  1. "Γενικό Λογιστήριο της Δημοκρατίας Απολαβές Αξιωματούχων". treasury.gov.cy. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2024.