Cyprus at a Glance_EN

Legislature House of Representatives Legislative authority is exercised by a unicameral House of Representatives. Its members are elected for a five-year term. At the time of its establishment the House consisted of 50 members, 35 of whom were to be Greek Cypriots and 15 Turkish Cypriots. In 1985 the number of seats was increased to 80, 56 allocated to Greek Cypriot members and 24 reserved for Turkish Cypriot deputies. Following the withdrawal of the Turkish Cypriot members in 1964, the House has been functioning only with the Greek Cypriot members. The Maronite, Armenian and Latin religious groups, which vote as part of the Greek Cypriot community, elect one additional representative each from their ranks. These non-voting representatives attend meetings, but do not participate in the House deliberations. They are consulted on issues of particular interest to their respective group. The President of the Republic of Cyprus is invested in office by the House of Representatives. Since the vacancy of the Vice-President’s office in 1964, the President of the House serves as Acting President of the Republic in the absence or temporary incapacity of the President of the Republic. Judiciary The judiciary is established as a separate power, independent from the other two branches of the state and autonomous in its sphere of competencies, authority and jurisdiction. The Supreme Court The Supreme Court is the highest court and is composed of thirteen judges, one of whom is the President. It has jurisdiction to examine the constitutionality of any law or any conflict of power or competence which arises between any organs or authorities of the Republic. In addition, it hears and determines any recourse by the President of the Republic regarding the compatibility with the constitution of any law enacted by the House of Representatives. As the final Appellate Court of the Republic, it has jurisdiction to hear and determine all appeals from lower courts in civil and criminal matters. Functioning as the Electoral Court , it has the power to hear and determine petitions concerning the interpretation and application of the Electoral Laws. It also functions as an Admiralty Court with original and appellate jurisdiction. 4