Cypriot legislative election, 2011
Encyclopedia
A legislative election to the Vouli ton Antiprosópon
was held in Cyprus
on 22 May 2011. Of the 59 seats, 56 were open for election to the House of Representatives (the other three seats are reserved for minorities).
The election was won by the Democratic Rally
, which increased its number of seats from 18 to 20. The governing Progressive Party of Working People
also gained one seat taking them 19 seats. The Democratic Party
lost two seats from their original tally of 11 and the European Party
lost one seat from their original tally of three. The Movement for Social Democracy
held on to their five seats.
in Northern Cyprus which was won by the right-wing candidate Dervis Eroglu
, who beat leftist incumbent Mehmet Ali Talat
, amid fears of a halt in peace talks for a unified Cyprus
; it also follows a similar legislative election
. A right-wing party also won the last Turkish election
.
Conversely, in Greece
the previous election
was won by the Panhellenic Socialist Movement
defeating the conservative New Democracy
. Roughly a month later, Turkey
would hold its own general election
.
of government in which the people directly elect the all-important president.
The parliament consists of 59 seats, 56 of which are open for election and three are reserved for the Maronite, Latin and Armenian
minority communities.
talks could also affect Turkey
's accession to the European Union
. Though this election would not directly affect the Cypriot presidential election, 2013, it could set a precedent for coalition
alliances.
Current negotiations between the two parties concern the establishment of a federation of two states with a loose central government, though implementing the proposal has run into obstacles and Northern Cyprus have not abandoned a wish for independence. Such hindrances to unification include territorial swaps and property rights of thousands of internally displaced persons.
(AKEL) and the centrist Democratic Party
(DIKO) which has 11 seats. Both AKEL and the centre-right
Democratic Rally
(DISY) have 18 seats. However, DIKO dropped out of the coalition in August of 2011, forcing AKEL into a minority position in the house of representatives.
Other parties include: the Movement for Social Democracy
(EDEK) (currently five seats), the European Party
(currently three seats) and the Ecological and Environmental Movement
(currently with one seat).
The incumbent government was also criticised for its "slow response" to the financial crisis, in which Cyprus experienced its first recession in more than three decades.
showed a slight lead of the AKEL Party. Though it was still forecast to fall short of a majority in the 59-seat parliament.
s to register for the election by the end of January, so as to make preparations for polling stations.
Democratic Rally finished with 34.27 percent and AKEL followed with 32.67 percent.
The high abstention rate of 21% was also noted considering that voting is compulsory.
in the Turkish Hurriyet
suggested two repercussions: an impact on the presidential election; and an effect to the United Nations-led direct reunification talks. This could be further hurt as the junior members of the governing coalition had shown signs of a rift with AKEL and Christofias over the reunification talks, as well as social and economic policies. It suggested a "grand coalition
," though acknowledging it was a massive task due to the burgeoning ambitions of both the two biggest parties for the presidency between incumbent Christofias and the DISY's Nicos Anastasiades
. It also pointed out that though AKEL still had wide-backing their overall performance of the government had lost some support. Additionally, it suggested peace talks would add pressure to Northern Cyprus should a grand coalition come to fruition and bring in a "strong leadership...to engage in a give-and-take." The first test of a such a possibility would be the election of the parliamentary speaker.http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=opposition-ruling-parties-advance-in-greek-cypriot-poll-2011-05-23
) be achieved." Part of Garoyian's demands, following his criticism of Christofias, was that the president withdraw proposals for a rotating presidency of a potential unified Cyprus. Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said that though Christofias regrets DIKO's withdrawal from the government he would go ahead with a cabinet reshuffle: "The aim is for the new government is to confront the challenges our country faces with dynamism and determination." He also added that the government would not withdraw proposals during an "intensified period of negotiations" following UN Secretary-Genera; Ban Ki-moon
's urging to resolve all core issues by October, including resolving the matter of private property losses from the war.
Analysis
Al Jazeera read this as a further humiliation to Christofias following the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion
since the election, amid calls for him to resign as a result of "negligence" and the Central Bank of Cyprus
Governor Athanasios Orphanides
's warning that Cyprus may have to seek an EU bailout if austerity measures and spending cuts are not broadened or sped up. In the same week the Bank of Cyprus
and other business leaders said that "deep spending cuts are needed fast."http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/08/20118313262573244.html
House of Representatives of Cyprus
The House of Representatives is the parliament of Cyprus. It has 59 members elected for a five year term, 56 members by proportional representation and 3 observer members representing the Maronite, Latin and Armenian minorities...
was held in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
on 22 May 2011. Of the 59 seats, 56 were open for election to the House of Representatives (the other three seats are reserved for minorities).
The election was won by the Democratic Rally
Democratic Rally
The Democratic Rally , is a centre-right political party in Cyprus, led by Nicos Anastasiades.The party was founded on 4 July 1976 by veteran politician Glafkos Klerides. Clerides served as Cyprus president from 1993 until 2003....
, which increased its number of seats from 18 to 20. The governing Progressive Party of Working People
Progressive Party of Working People
The Progressive Party of Working People is a communist party in Cyprus. It supports an independent, demilitarized and non-aligned Cyprus, and a federal solution of the internal aspect of the Cyprus problem. It places particular emphasis on rapprochement with the Turkish Cypriots. It supported...
also gained one seat taking them 19 seats. The Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Cyprus)
The Democratic Party is a centrist political party in Cyprus, founded in 1976 by Spyros Kyprianou. As it is reported in its founding statement , the Democratic Party proposes to the Cypriot society the political philosophy of "social centrism", which constitutes “a total of attributes and values...
lost two seats from their original tally of 11 and the European Party
European Party (Cyprus)
The European Party is a centrist political party in Cyprus founded in 2005, largely out of the parties New Horizons and European Democracy....
lost one seat from their original tally of three. The Movement for Social Democracy
Movement for Social Democracy
The Movement for Social Democracy EDEK is a Social Democratic party in Cyprus. It was originally founded by Dr Vasos Lyssaridis in 1969 as the United Democratic Union of Centre, EDEK and it was socialist party. It has gradually evolved into a social-democratic political party...
held on to their five seats.
Background
The election follows a presidential electionNorthern Cyprus presidential election, 2010
A presidential election was held in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on 18 April 2010. If no candidate had gained more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a run-off round would have been held on 25 April 2010.-Background:...
in Northern Cyprus which was won by the right-wing candidate Dervis Eroglu
Dervis Eroglu
Dr. Derviş Eroğlu is the President of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from 1985 to 1994 and from 1996 to 2004, and leader of the National Unity Party. His party won the general elections in 2009 and Eroğlu...
, who beat leftist incumbent Mehmet Ali Talat
Mehmet Ali Talat
Mehmet Ali Talat is the former President of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was the leader of the left wing Republican Turkish Party . He became prime minister in 2004, and subsequently won the Presidential election held on 17 April 2005...
, amid fears of a halt in peace talks for a unified Cyprus
Cyprus dispute
The Cyprus dispute is the result of the ongoing conflict between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey, over the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus....
; it also follows a similar legislative election
Northern Cyprus parliamentary election, 2009
Parliamentary elections were held in Northern Cyprus on 19 April 2009, a year earlier than necessary. The early election was decided upon by the ruling Republican Turkish Party...
. A right-wing party also won the last Turkish election
Turkish general election, 2007
Turkey's 16th general election was held on July 22, 2007 and resulted in a resounding victory for the incumbent Justice and Development Party...
.
Conversely, in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
the previous election
Greek legislative election, 2009
Parliamentary elections were held in Greece on 4 October 2009. An election was not required until September 2011.On 2 September Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced he would request President Karolos Papoulias to dissolve Parliament and call an election...
was won by the Panhellenic Socialist Movement
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party...
defeating the conservative New Democracy
New Democracy (Greece)
New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic...
. Roughly a month later, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
would hold its own general election
Turkish general election, 2011
Turkey's 17th general election was held on 12 June 2011 to elect 550 new members of Grand National Assembly. They were Turkey's first non-early elections in 34 years.-Background:...
.
Political system
Cyprus has a presidential systemPresidential system
A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
of government in which the people directly elect the all-important president.
The parliament consists of 59 seats, 56 of which are open for election and three are reserved for the Maronite, Latin and Armenian
Armenians in Cyprus
Armenians in Cyprus or Armenian-Cypriots are ethnic Armenians that live in Cyprus. Armenian-Cypriots maintain a notable presence of about 3.500 on the island , mostly centred in the capital Nicosia, but also with communities in Larnaca...
minority communities.
Cypriot conflict
The election was important as an adverse result against conflict resolutionConflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...
talks could also affect Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
's accession to the European Union
Accession of Turkey to the European Union
Turkey's application to accede to the European Union was made on 14 April 1987. Turkey has been an associate member of the European Union and its predecessors since 1963...
. Though this election would not directly affect the Cypriot presidential election, 2013, it could set a precedent for coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
alliances.
Current negotiations between the two parties concern the establishment of a federation of two states with a loose central government, though implementing the proposal has run into obstacles and Northern Cyprus have not abandoned a wish for independence. Such hindrances to unification include territorial swaps and property rights of thousands of internally displaced persons.
Parties
Incumbent President Demetris Christofias governed with a coalition of his Communist Progressive Party of Working PeopleProgressive Party of Working People
The Progressive Party of Working People is a communist party in Cyprus. It supports an independent, demilitarized and non-aligned Cyprus, and a federal solution of the internal aspect of the Cyprus problem. It places particular emphasis on rapprochement with the Turkish Cypriots. It supported...
(AKEL) and the centrist Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Cyprus)
The Democratic Party is a centrist political party in Cyprus, founded in 1976 by Spyros Kyprianou. As it is reported in its founding statement , the Democratic Party proposes to the Cypriot society the political philosophy of "social centrism", which constitutes “a total of attributes and values...
(DIKO) which has 11 seats. Both AKEL and the centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
Democratic Rally
Democratic Rally
The Democratic Rally , is a centre-right political party in Cyprus, led by Nicos Anastasiades.The party was founded on 4 July 1976 by veteran politician Glafkos Klerides. Clerides served as Cyprus president from 1993 until 2003....
(DISY) have 18 seats. However, DIKO dropped out of the coalition in August of 2011, forcing AKEL into a minority position in the house of representatives.
Other parties include: the Movement for Social Democracy
Movement for Social Democracy
The Movement for Social Democracy EDEK is a Social Democratic party in Cyprus. It was originally founded by Dr Vasos Lyssaridis in 1969 as the United Democratic Union of Centre, EDEK and it was socialist party. It has gradually evolved into a social-democratic political party...
(EDEK) (currently five seats), the European Party
European Party (Cyprus)
The European Party is a centrist political party in Cyprus founded in 2005, largely out of the parties New Horizons and European Democracy....
(currently three seats) and the Ecological and Environmental Movement
Ecological and Environmental Movement
The Ecological and Environmental Movement , also rendered as Cyprus Green Party, is a green political party in Cyprus.At the legislative elections, 27 May 2001, the party won 2.0% of the popular vote and 1 out of 56 seats. In the elections of 21 May 2006, the party won 2.0% and 1 out of 56...
(currently with one seat).
Issues
DIKO has criticised Christofias' offer for a rotating presidency with Northern Cyprus as part of deal to settle the Cypriot conflict.The incumbent government was also criticised for its "slow response" to the financial crisis, in which Cyprus experienced its first recession in more than three decades.
Opinion polls
The opposition centre-right Democratic RallyDemocratic Rally
The Democratic Rally , is a centre-right political party in Cyprus, led by Nicos Anastasiades.The party was founded on 4 July 1976 by veteran politician Glafkos Klerides. Clerides served as Cyprus president from 1993 until 2003....
showed a slight lead of the AKEL Party. Though it was still forecast to fall short of a majority in the 59-seat parliament.
Election
The Interior Ministry estimated a total Greek Cypriot eligible voting population of 530,000. Additionally, about 544 Turkish Cypriots residing in Cyprus proper are eligible to vote. The Interior Minisitry also called on Cypriot expatriateExpatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s to register for the election by the end of January, so as to make preparations for polling stations.
Democratic Rally finished with 34.27 percent and AKEL followed with 32.67 percent.
The high abstention rate of 21% was also noted considering that voting is compulsory.
Analysis
An op-edOp-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
in the Turkish Hurriyet
Hürriyet
-External links:* * ** * *...
suggested two repercussions: an impact on the presidential election; and an effect to the United Nations-led direct reunification talks. This could be further hurt as the junior members of the governing coalition had shown signs of a rift with AKEL and Christofias over the reunification talks, as well as social and economic policies. It suggested a "grand coalition
Grand coalition
A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government...
," though acknowledging it was a massive task due to the burgeoning ambitions of both the two biggest parties for the presidency between incumbent Christofias and the DISY's Nicos Anastasiades
Nicos Anastasiades
Nicos Anastasiades is a Cypriot politician who is the political leader of the centre-right political party DISY . In parliamentary elections on May 22, 2011, the Democratic Rally won 20 seats, which was more than any other party but not a majority of the 56-member House of...
. It also pointed out that though AKEL still had wide-backing their overall performance of the government had lost some support. Additionally, it suggested peace talks would add pressure to Northern Cyprus should a grand coalition come to fruition and bring in a "strong leadership...to engage in a give-and-take." The first test of a such a possibility would be the election of the parliamentary speaker.http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=opposition-ruling-parties-advance-in-greek-cypriot-poll-2011-05-23
[A grand coalition] would produce the best chance ever for a Cyprus settlement. - Hurriyet
Government formation and split
A coaltion government was formed between the incumbent AKEL and DIKO parties. However, on 3 August DIKO withdrew from the coalition citing its differences over resolution of the Cypriot conflict and consequently leaving AKEL with a minority government. Following a meeting with President Dimitris Christofias, party leader Marios Garoyian said that "despite our continued efforts and repeated appeals, unfortunately, the wished-for understanding between political forces which is so needed in these crucial moments for our country couldn't (sicSic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
) be achieved." Part of Garoyian's demands, following his criticism of Christofias, was that the president withdraw proposals for a rotating presidency of a potential unified Cyprus. Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said that though Christofias regrets DIKO's withdrawal from the government he would go ahead with a cabinet reshuffle: "The aim is for the new government is to confront the challenges our country faces with dynamism and determination." He also added that the government would not withdraw proposals during an "intensified period of negotiations" following UN Secretary-Genera; Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
's urging to resolve all core issues by October, including resolving the matter of private property losses from the war.
Analysis
Al Jazeera read this as a further humiliation to Christofias following the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion
Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion
The Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion was the worst peacetime military accident ever recorded in Cyprus. The incident occurred on 11 July 2011, when 98 containers of explosives that were being stored for 2½ years in the sun on the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base near Zygi self-detonated.The...
since the election, amid calls for him to resign as a result of "negligence" and the Central Bank of Cyprus
Central Bank of Cyprus
The Central Bank of Cyprus , is the central bank of the Republic of Cyprus, located in Nicosia. It was established in 1963. Its current governor is Mr. Athanasios Orphanides...
Governor Athanasios Orphanides
Athanasios Orphanides
Athanasios Orphanides is a Cypriot economist who has been the Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus since 3 May 2007 and a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank since 1 January 2008.Prior to his appointment as Governor, he served as Senior Adviser at the Board of...
's warning that Cyprus may have to seek an EU bailout if austerity measures and spending cuts are not broadened or sped up. In the same week the Bank of Cyprus
Bank of Cyprus
Bank of Cyprus is a major Cypriot financial institution. In terms of market capitalisation it is the country's second largest company.As of December 31, 2005, the Group's Total Assets reached C£13,22bn and the Group's Shareholders' Funds were C£818mn . At 30 September 2008, the Group's Total...
and other business leaders said that "deep spending cuts are needed fast."http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/08/20118313262573244.html
External links
- Election results
- Election triumph for opposition DISY
- NSD: European Election Database - Cyprus publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1990-2011