ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 focuses on power-sharing mediations in Cyprus. While debating earlier high-profile UN proposals, this chapter also engages in a wider exploration of alternative power-sharing systems for the Cypriot peace talks based on the achievements of other divided societies, specifically the Northern Ireland and the Brussels Capital Region models. By incentivizing wider participation across political parties in government, these two cases avoid a problematic and time-consuming aspect of consociationalism – forming inter-ethnic majority coalitions. The chapter also discusses the options for a semi-presidential system for Cyprus, where the two co-presidents would be elected through cross-community voting mechanisms, as was previously agreed by Cypriot leaders. In common with the Northern Ireland and Brussels Capital Region models, executive power would still lie primarily with the cabinet; however, the two co-presidents would possess key arbitration powers to deal with an agreed list of critical issues, such as matters involving security and co-operation with the United Nations force on the island. This chapter argues that power-sharing examples, especially within EU member states, are highly relevant for Cyprus and that such precedents could fit well with the specific character and needs of the Cypriot peace process, replacing proposals stipulated in the failed summer 2017 peace talks in Switzerland.
