Vice President of Cyprus facts for kids

The Vice President of Cyprus is a very important job in Cyprus. It's the second-highest political position, right after the President.

The country's special rule book, called the Constitution, says that the Vice President must be a Turkish Cypriot. The President, on the other hand, must be a Greek Cypriot. This was set up to share power between the two main groups of people on the island.

However, since 1974, after some big changes, no one has held the Vice President job. Instead, the leader of the Cypriot Parliament acts as the second-in-command.

History of the Vice President Role

The Republic of Cyprus became an independent country in 1960. Before that, it was ruled by Britain. When Cyprus became independent, it created a special constitution. This constitution was designed to share power between the two main groups of people living there: Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. This plan was agreed upon in the London and Zürich Agreements.

First Vice Presidents

Fazıl Küçük was the very first Vice President of Cyprus. He ran for the job without anyone else competing against him in the 1959 election. He was elected again in 1968.

Later, Rauf Denktaş became the second Vice President. He also ran without anyone else competing in the 1973 election.

The Vice President was supposed to choose three ministers to join the government, called the cabinet. But because of disagreements and fighting between the communities, called intercommunal violence, these choices were not made. Turkish Cypriots have not been part of the government since December 1963.

Events of 1974

In 1974, Vice President Denktaş and President Makarios III were removed from their positions in a sudden takeover, known as a coup d'état. This takeover was done by a Greek nationalist group, supported by Greece.

In response, Turkey sent its army to the island. President Makarios III was later put back in charge when the group that caused the takeover lost power. However, Turkish troops stayed on the island. They later helped create a separate area in the north, which became known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Rauf Denktaş became its leader, or president.

During these events, many Greek Cypriots moved to the south, and many Turkish Cypriots moved to the north. The island of Cyprus is still divided today. The United Nations and many countries around the world believe that the island should be reunited.

List of Vice Presidents

Here is a list of the people who have held the office of Vice President of Cyprus.

№	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office		Elected	President (Born–Died)
			Started	Left Office
1		Fazıl Küçük (1906–1984)	16 August 1960	18 February 1973	1959 1968	Makarios III (1913–1977)
2		Rauf Denktaş (1924–2012)	18 February 1973	15 July 1974 (removed from office)	1973
The position has been empty since July 15, 1974. The leader of the Turkish Cypriot community is now the President of Northern Cyprus.

Future Plans for the Role

There was a plan called the Annan Plan. This plan suggested that Cyprus should have both a President and a Vice President again. One would be a Greek Cypriot and the other a Turkish Cypriot. The plan suggested they would take turns holding the top job every 10 months during a five-year term.