Ibrahim Aziz (Cyprus)
Encyclopedia
Ibrahim Aziz is a Turkish Cypriot political analyst living in Nicosia
, Republic of Cyprus. Aziz was the president of the New Cyprus Association in 1998. He is a former member of AKEL.
Although he is a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus and lives in the area controlled by it, he was not allowed to vote because he was a Turkish Cypriot for forty years. He applied to the European Court of Human Rights
in 2004, and the court ruled:
Under the 1960 constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, Turkish Cypriots are only allowed to vote for a vice-president, a position that no longer exists since the Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the government in 1963. After this case, the right to vote was given to the Turkish Cypriots residing in the Republic of Cyprus. However, Turkish Cypriots still cannot run in presidential elections and the Turkish Cypriots which reside in Northern Cyprus cannot vote in elections, even though they are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, Republic of Cyprus. Aziz was the president of the New Cyprus Association in 1998. He is a former member of AKEL.
Although he is a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus and lives in the area controlled by it, he was not allowed to vote because he was a Turkish Cypriot for forty years. He applied to the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
in 2004, and the court ruled:
Consequently, the applicant, as a member of the Turkish–Cypriot community living in the Government-controlled area of Cyprus, was completely deprived of any opportunity to express his opinion in the choice of the members of the house of representatives of the country of which he was a national and where he had always lived. Considering that the very essence of the applicant's right to vote, as guaranteed by Article 3 of Protocol No. 1, had been denied, the Court held, unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 3 of Protocol No. 1.
Under the 1960 constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, Turkish Cypriots are only allowed to vote for a vice-president, a position that no longer exists since the Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the government in 1963. After this case, the right to vote was given to the Turkish Cypriots residing in the Republic of Cyprus. However, Turkish Cypriots still cannot run in presidential elections and the Turkish Cypriots which reside in Northern Cyprus cannot vote in elections, even though they are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.