Suchergebnisse

The change of government in 2003 and the 2004 referendum on the Annan Plan influenced the outcome of the 2006 parliamentary elections. A long-standing cleavage based on choices for a solution to the Cyprus issue surfaced in 2004 and caused deep divisions and a large swing vote, triggering realignment of the electorate. However, resistance by the two major parties, which countered by promoting the left-right cleavage and party loyalty, curtailed the impact of the new divisions. This election, marking a crystallization of the post-referendum electoral realignment, showed that urban centres emerged more fragmented, while highly polarized large rural centres resisted change. Adapted from the source document.

The article describes the background to the referenda in Cyprus on the United Nations plan for the reunification of the island. It examines the role of the international community & domestic actors in the campaign & analyzes the outcome. It explains why in the Greek Cypriot community, the status of refugee & socioeconomic criteria had limited impact on the vote, while in the Turkish Cypriot community the indigenous population offered overwhelmingly higher support than mainland settlers did. Reference is made to long-term processes that may explain the vote of each community on the island. 2 Tables, 2 Figures. Adapted from the source document.

The outcome of the Feb 2003 Cyprus presidential elections confirmed the influence of the communist AKEL (Progressive Party of the Working People). The party's ambitions to assume state responsibilities, expressed since 2001, were fulfilled; its favored candidate, the Chairman of the Democratic Party, Tassos Papadopoulos, was elected to the presidency. Success in the first round was founded on a strategy of alliances, the persistence of ideological cleavages, & party discipline. The new president chairs a cabinet in which for the first time AKEL's ministers participate & form a majority. Papadopoulos is due to complete the EU accession process & also faces the challenge of negotiating a federal solution of the Cyprus question based on a United Nations plan. Meritocracy in domestic affairs is another challenge for the new government in a country largely dominated by the generation of the 1960s. 1 Table, 1 Figure, 6 References. Adapted from the source document.