The political framework of Cyprus

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

Chief of State and head of government: President Nikos CHRISTODOULIDIS (since 28 February 2023)

Next Election Dates

Presidential: 2028
Legislative: May 2026 (2027 for the area administered by Turkish Cypriots)

Main Political Parties

Following the latest legislative elections, the composition of the Parliament is as follows:

- Democratic Rally (Disy): right-wing, absorbed the Liberals in 1998 (17 seats)
- Progressive Party of the Working People (Akel): left-wing, communist (15 seats)
- Democratic Party (Diko): centrist (9 seats)
- National Popular Front (Elam):  far right, nationalist (3 seats)
- Movement of Social Democrats (Edek): centre-left, formerly known as Social Democratic Movement (Kisos) (3 seats)
- Democratic Alignment (DiPa): centre, liberal (4 seats)
- Ecologists Movement (KOSP): centre-left, green (2 seats)
- Volt Cyprus: Eurofederalist and progressive (1 seat)

Executive Power

The President is both the Head of State and the Head of Government. The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term and holds executive power. The Council of Ministers is appointed by the President. Under the 1960 Constitution, the position of Vice-President is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot. However, this position has remained vacant since 1973.

Legislative Power

The legislative power of the Republic of Cyprus is unicameral. The parliament consists of the House of Representatives, whose 80 members are directly elected by proportional representation and preferential vote for a five-year term. Twenty-four seats are allocated to the Turkish Cypriot community, but these have remained vacant since 1974. As a result, the parliament functions solely with the 56 Greek Cypriot members.