CYPRIOTS go to the polls today in a historic referendum to reunite the island after more than three decades of division. For the first time in the troubled history of the island, the Cypriot people will decide for themselves on the future of their country, through twin referenda on the Annan plan.
WE were once famous for copper, Aphrodite and kebabs, but now the buzzword in Cyprus is Kofi Annan and his referenda. Teams of photojournalists, cameramen, anchor women and techs have poured into Cyprus the last few days from all over the world to cover the island’s single most important referendum on the UN Secretary-general’s reunification plan.
RESEARCH has revealed that opponents of the Annan plan were given double the TV airtime of those who supported it.
DISY chief Nicos Anastassiades yesterday lashed back at president Tassos Papadopoulos’ comment that some people were dragging their country through the mud for a handful of votes. Anastassiades countered it was those that led their country to international isolation and into conflict with the UN and the EU who were humiliating and denigrating their country.
TURKISH Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Mehmet Ali Talat said yesterday his people would today “show the world that they are ready to form the United Cyprus Republic” and that Rauf Denktash would stick to his word and resign in the event of an affirmative vote in the north’s referendum.
THE HOUSE of Representatives passed 186 bills in one fell swoop on Thursday in a last-ditch effort to meet its EU harmonisation requirements. Truckloads of documents were ferried over to the House of Representatives throughout the week to ensure that every deputy at least had a copy of the bills on their desk before voting them in.
POLICE will be on high alert today when polling stations open at 7am for the referendum. Around 2,600 police officers will be deployed across the free areas to make sure that the voting goes smoothly.
ENGLISH School Headmaster Stuart Haggert yesterday sought to play down claims of referendum tension at the Nicosia private school, saying recent reports were grossly exaggerated. “It is true that one boy has been the victim of cruel harassment. His name was written on one of the walls with threatening comments,” Haggert said yesterday.
CYPRIOT voters, who today take the most important political decision of their lives, have been badly let down by their government, their media, and the international community, an Irish referendum expert said yesterday.
THE FLAME burning out of the big stack at the refinery has been a defining landmark for Cypriots for over 33 years.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
