In the Aftermath of the Cyprus Referendums

This article examines recent developments in the Cyprus negotiations & suggests a number of changes to the proposed electoral system. Specifically, cross-voting & other electoral methods that encourage coalition-building across ethnic communities might add significantly to the functionality of the Annan Plan. Combined with other innovative mechanisms already in the plan, cross-voting could force political parties to seriously take into account the interests & concerns of the two Cypriot communities, an element that is currently missing from both the Turkish Cypriot (TC) & Greek Cypriot (GC) political systems. Special conditions on the island, as well as the way most political parties operated in the critical pre-April 2004 referendum period, suggest the need for this amendment. Although this study respects the consociational logic of the Annan Plan, it supplements consociationalism with elements that foster integration & inter-dependence between the two communities & their voters. The article also reviews the postreferendum developments in Cyprus which might have worrisome future implications, not only for its two communities, but also for EU enlargement in general. Cyprus both holds one of the keys to Turkey's entrance into the EU & is a litmus test for the Euro-Atlantic nexus & its capacity to pacify & integrate ethnically divided societies in Europe & elsewhere.