President of Cyprus Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Republic of Cyprus
Presidential standard of Cyprus
Incumbent Nikos Christodoulides since 28 February 2023
Executive branch of the Government of Cyprus
Style	Mr President (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	European Council
Residence	Presidential Palace
Seat	Nicosia, Cyprus
Appointer	Popular vote
Term length	Five years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument	Cypriot Constitution
Formation	16 August 1960; 64 years ago (1960-08-16)
First holder	Makarios III
Deputy	Vice President of Cyprus (de jure) President of the House of Representatives (de facto)
Salary	132,000 EUR annually

The President of Cyprus is the leader of the country. This important role means they are both the head of state (the main representative of the country) and the head of government (the person in charge of running the government). They are also the commander-in-chief of the Cypriot National Guard, which is the country's military.

This job was created by the Constitution in 1960. This happened after Cyprus became independent from the United Kingdom.

Cyprus is special because its president holds both the head of state and head of government roles. This is different from most other countries in the European Union. It means Cyprus has a full presidential system of government.

The constitution says that the president must be a Greek Cypriot. This rule was part of an agreement made to share power between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. To become president, a person must be over 35 years old. They are chosen directly by the people in an election that often has two rounds.

A president's term lasts for five years. They can serve for a maximum of two terms in a row.

Nikos Christodoulides is the current president of Cyprus. He is the eighth person to hold this office. He started his term on 28 February 2023.

What the President Does: Powers and Limits
Who Has Been President: A List
- Timeline of Presidents
Recent Elections
Facts About Presidents
See also

What the President Does: Powers and Limits

The President of Cyprus has many important jobs. They are elected by the people for a five-year term. Everyone gets to vote in a secret ballot.

Making and Stopping Laws

One of the president's main powers is to approve laws. These laws are first passed by the House of Representatives, which is like the country's parliament. The president can also say no to a law, which is called a veto. This can happen if the law is about Cyprus's foreign policy, security, or defense.

The president can also send a law back to the House of Representatives to be looked at again. Or, they can send it to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court then checks if the law follows the country's constitution.

Leading the Government Ministers

The president also leads meetings of the Council of Ministers. This group is like the country's Cabinet. The president sets the topics for these meetings. They can also veto decisions made by the Council of Ministers. This veto power applies to matters of foreign policy, security, and defense.

Today, the president chooses eleven ministers. These ministers form the country's Cabinet. They help the president run the executive part of the government.

Appointing Officials and Judges

The constitution also gives the president the power to appoint other important people. These include independent state officials and judges for the Supreme Court.

How a President Can Be Removed

There are two main ways a president can be removed from office.

First, if they are found guilty of a very serious crime called "high treason" by the Supreme Court. This process starts with the prosecutor general and deputy prosecutor general, and at least three-quarters of the members of parliament must agree.
Second, if they are found guilty of a dishonorable or morally wrong offense. This also starts with the prosecutor general and deputy prosecutor general, and must be approved by the president of the Supreme Court.

Who Has Been President: A List

Here is a list of the people who have served as President of Cyprus.

Key

Elected unopposed
† Died in office

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term			Political Party	Elected
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political Party	Elected
1		Archbishop Makarios III (1913–1977)	16 August 1960	15 July 1974 (deposed)	13 years, 333 days	Independent	1959 1968 1973
–		Nikos Sampson (1935–2001) Acting De facto	15 July 1974	23 July 1974	8 days	Progressive Front	–
–		Glafcos Clerides (1919–2013) Acting	23 July 1974	7 December 1974	137 days	Eniaion	–
(1)		Archbishop Makarios III (1913–1977)	7 December 1974 (restored)	3 August 1977 †	2 years, 239 days	Independent	–
2		Spyros Kyprianou (1932–2002) Acting until 28 February 1978	3 August 1977	28 February 1988	10 years, 209 days	DIKO	1978 1983
3		George Vassiliou (born 1931)	28 February 1988	28 February 1993	5 years	Independent	1988
4		Glafcos Clerides (1919–2013)	28 February 1993	28 February 2003	10 years	DISY	1993 1998
5		Tassos Papadopoulos (1934–2008)	28 February 2003	28 February 2008	5 years	DIKO	2003
6		Demetris Christofias (1946–2019)	28 February 2008	28 February 2013	5 years	AKEL	2008
7		Nicos Anastasiades (born 1946)	28 February 2013	28 February 2023	10 years	DISY	2013 2018
8		Nikos Christodoulides (born 1973)	28 February 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 116 days	Independent	2023

Timeline of Presidents

Recent Elections

2023 Cypriot presidential election

Facts About Presidents

#	President	Date of birth	Age at inauguration (first term)	Time in office (total)	Age at retirement (last term)	Date of death	Longevity
1	Mouskos, MichailMakarios III	1913081313 August 1913(13 August 1913)	47 00347 years, 3 days	16 32016 years, 211 days	65 17663 years, 355 days	197708033 August 1977	&&&&&&&&&&023366.&&&&&023,36663 years, 355 days
2	Kyprianou, SpyrosSpyros Kyprianou	1932102828 October 1932(28 October 1932)	44 31044 years, 310 days	10 17810 years, 178 days	55 12355 years, 123 days	2002031212 March 2002	&&&&&&&&&&025337.&&&&&025,33769 years, 135 days
3	Vassiliou, GeorgiosGeorgios Vassiliou	1931052020 May 1931(20 May 1931)	56 28456 years, 284 days	05 0005 years, 0 days	61 28461 years, 284 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&034369.&&&&&034,36994 years, 35 days (Living)
4	Clerides, GlafcosGlafcos Clerides	1919042424 April 1919(24 April 1919)	73 31073 years, 310 days	10 00010 years, 0 days	83 31083 years, 310 days	2013111515 November 2013	&&&&&&&&&&034539.&&&&&034,53994 years, 205 days
5	Papadopoulos, TassosTassos Papadopoulos	193401077 January 1934(7 January 1934)	69 05269 years, 52 days	05 0005 years, 0 days	74 05274 years, 52 days	2008121212 December 2008	&&&&&&&&&&027368.&&&&&027,36874 years, 340 days
6	Christofias, DemetrisDemetris Christofias	1946082929 August 1946(29 August 1946)	61 18361 years, 183 days	05 0005 years, 0 days	66 18366 years, 183 days	2019062121 June 2019	&&&&&&&&&&026594.&&&&&026,59472 years, 296 days
7	Anastasiades, NicosNicos Anastasiades	1946092727 September 1946(27 September 1946)	66 15466 years, 154 days	01 199 48210 years, 0 days	76 15476 years, 154 days	Living	&&&&&&&&&&028760.&&&&&028,76078 years, 270 days (Living)
8	Nikos Christodoulides	6 December 1973	49 years, 85 days	01 199 4822 years, 116 days (Ongoing)	Incumbent	Living	&&&&&&&&&&019005.&&&&&019,00551 years, 200 days (Living)

President of Cyprus facts for kids

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