Cyprus

Cyprus is an independent, sovereign republic of a presidential type. Under the 1960 Constitution, the executive power is entrusted to the president of the republic who is elected for a five-year term of office. A transitional body governed education until the Proclamation of Independence on 16 August 1960. Thereafter, the administration of Greek Cypriot education was undertaken by the Greek Communal Chamber consisting of 26 members elected from the Greek community and the administration of the Turkish minority by the Turkish Communal Chamber. The Armenian and Maronite populations were given the option to choose the Communal Chamber by which they wished to be governed; both chose the Greek Communal Chamber. Within the framework of the Constitution, the Greek Communal Chamber has legislative power over all religious matters; all educational, cultural, and teaching matters; all staff matters; and the composition and instance of courts dealing with civil disputes relating to personal status and to religious matters. The Greek Communal Chamber was dissolved on 31 March 1965, with legislative powers passing to the House of Representatives and the administrative power to the Ministry of Education.