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Cyprus RightsThe Republic of Cyprus claims the whole island, and owes every right that claim implies to every Cypriot. Cyprus Rights documents where that duty goes unmet for Turkish Cypriots — with sources.
Report cardPolitical participationNational elections

Forming a political party

Insufficiently documentedInsufficiently documented — no score

Law 175(I)/2012 and the government registration page describe a 300-signature requirement from citizens entitled to vote, with a EUR 2,000 registration fee. They state no communal restriction. The fact that the registered Turkish Cypriot electorate is below 900 does not make 300 signatures mathematically impossible. Whether eligible Turkish Cypriot applicants can meet the requirements in practice, and how any application was handled, remains insufficiently documented in this corpus.12

Basis and sources

Legal anchor Republic of Cyprus legislation governing the registration of political parties; Article 3 of Protocol No 1 ECHR

Sources for this criterion

  1. 1. Ministry of Interior page: registration of a political party (Law 175(I)/2012)A — primary / documentary · Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Interior · 2026-08-27
  2. 2. Turkish Cypriot Rights Issue Register and Legal Framework Register (Cyprus Rights reference corpus)D — open source · Cyprus Rights · 2026-08-24

Status undocumentedWeight 3/5Score Insufficiently documented — no score

Record

Corrections and evidence updates

· v1.0.1

Correction: removed an invalid numerical inference about the 300-signature requirement. No score was assigned.

Read the previous wording

The party-registration law, 175(I)/2012, states no communal restriction. Any 300 citizens with the right to vote can register a party, for a EUR 2,000 fee, per the official page. The registered Turkish Cypriot electorate is under 900 people, so a party could not be founded on Turkish Cypriot signatures alone. No application by a Turkish Cypriot-founded party has been located, in either direction.

Sources

  1. Ministry of Interior page: registration of a political party (Law 175(I)/2012)A — primary / documentaryRepublic of Cyprus, Ministry of Interior · 2026-08-27An official Republic of Cyprus Ministry of Interior webpage explaining the procedure for registering a political party under Law 175(I)/2012.Official procedure page (retrieved 27 August 2026): registration requires a statute, EUR 2,000 fee and the signatures and ID numbers of 300 citizens with the right to vote; no communal restriction statedhttps://www.gov.cy/moi/en/ministry/departments…https://www.gov.cy/moi/en/ministry/departments/civil-registry-section/central-electoral-service/register-of-political-parties/
  2. Turkish Cypriot Rights Issue Register and Legal Framework Register (Cyprus Rights reference corpus)D — open sourceCyprus Rights · 2026-08-24Cyprus Rights' own internal reference corpus of registers tracking Turkish Cypriot rights issues and the applicable legal framework.Cyprus Rights reference corpus, compiled 24 August 2026: internal/reference/rights-issue-register-turkish-cypriot.md and internal/reference/legal-framework-register.md. Cited for duty-bearer positions as the registers record them and for documentation-gap statements; each register entry carries its own underlying sources
Forming a political party — Political participation — Cyprus Rights