SIXTY-FOUR per cent of Cypriots would vote against the United Nations peace plan if a referendum were held next Sunday, a survey has found.
The survey, carried out on behalf of Politis last Thursday and Friday and published on Sunday, found that only 27 per cent would vote in favour of the plan while nine per cent said they did not know what to vote or declined to reply.
The daily commented that the percentage of people opposing the plan was gathering strength, since a similar poll just a week earlier had found that 52 per cent would vote against and 28 per cent in favour of the plan.
According to Politis, the negative attitude stems from feelings of insecurity.
Out of the 55 per cent who said they felt insecure, 79 per cent were against the plan and 17 per cent in favour.
Of those who felt secure with the plan – 42 per cent – 43 per cent were in favour and 45 against.
Seventy-five per cent of the sample said they were afraid that violent clashes would break out upon implementation of the plan, while those who expressed fears about the proposed solution listed five main concerns.
The continued presence of Turkish settlers topped the list with 29 per cent, while remaining Turkish forces posed a danger for 20 per cent of the interviewees.
Living with the Turks evoked fears for 19 per cent and freedom of movement for Turks worried 18 per cent.
Finally, 14 per cent said the Turks would effectively control the island if a solution was based on this plan.
The survey found that 68 per cent of the people thought they had not been adequately informed about the plan with 30 per cent said they were satisfied with the information they had.
Fourty-seven per cent said they would like more information concerning the security aspects of the plan; 28 per cent on territory, and 18 per cent on the constitutional provisions.
Another source of insecurity is put down to the belief that the standard of living would drop should the plan go through, Politis said.
Fifty-two per cent think it will drop while 31 per cent believe it will go up.
Out of the sample of 376 people, 30 per cent were refugees, the daily said.
Of those, 81 per cent said they would not return under Turkish Cypriot administration while 15 per cent said they would.
Despite rejecting the UN plan, Cypriots in general want a settlement of the Cyprus problem, with 75 per cent saying they would accept the Turkish Cypriots who wanted to return to their homes in the south as equals.
Forty-seven per cent opted for living separately from Turkish Cypriots with a weak central state and 48 per cent preferred a strong central state.
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.
