Proposal for the Federal Legislatibg House (Parliament.)

[Kifeas]

This is my proposal for the federal parliament.

Federal legislating body will consist of only one house (House of Representatives or Federal parliament) instead of two houses as it was in the A-plan. The total number of representatives (MP’s) will be 84.
It will be composed of three components.
-The Communal component with 21 MP’s (25%)
-The Federative Component with 42 MP’s (50%)
-The Unity Country component with 21 MP’s (25%)

The Communal Component (21 MP’s) will be composed as follows.
-The Greek Cypriot community representation with 9 MP’s
-The Turkish Cypriot community representation with 9 MP’s
-The Other Cypriot Communities representation with 3 MP’s (1 from the Armenian, 1 from the Latin and 1 from the Maronite community.)

Their corresponding communities on the basis of communal identity belonging, and irrespective of residency location, will elect all the above MP’s.

The Federative Component (42 MP’s) will be composed based on the permanent residents population ratio of each Component State and in direct relationship with it. The seats will be further allocated in the various sub-regions (districts) of each Component state, again on a population ratio basis. Any rounding discrepancy will be ruled in favor of the smaller state.

If for example we assume that the total permanent residents population of the Northern Component State (northern component state) will reach 25% of the total Cypriot population, (including the Greek Cypriots,) then the number of MP’s allocated to this Component state will be 11 and the number of MP’s allocated to the Southern Component State (southern component state) will be 31.

-Northern Component State 11 MP’s
-Southern Component State 31 MP’s

Election of the all the above MP’s will be based exclusively on the Component State permanent resident status and irrespective of communal identity belonging (“ethnic” identity) and on a one-man-one-vote basis.

The Unity Country Component (21 MP’s) will be composed of MP’s elected on a pan-Cyprian one-man-one-vote basis by all Cypriot citizens, irrespective of State /district residency and irrespective of Communal identity. Each political (ideological) platform will present their candidates in one single pan-Cyprian voting ballot, which will naturally include candidates from all communities and areas, and will seek to elect as many of the 21 allocated MP’s as possible.

Questions and anwers!

Question 1: How are these elections going to be carried out? The entire election of all the 84 MP’s will be complete in one election date. On the Election Day, each citizen will be handed out 3 different voting ballots, one containing the Communal candidates, one containing the component State /district residency candidates and the one containing the Unity state candidates. The last one will be common to everybody, as per definition.

Question 2: Under such a system, how many MP’s from the Turkish Cypriot community will eventually become elected?
This cannot be answered precisely. However, if we assume the permanent resident population of the Northern State to be 25% of the total and out of this the 72% are Turkish Cypriots and the remaining 28% are Greek Cypriots and others, then we can safely assume that at least (minimum) 8 MP’s out of the 11 that were allocated to this state, will be Turkish Cypriots, (assuming that everybody votes according to which community each candidate derives from.) On the Unity state element, if we make the same assumption and based on the fact that the overall Turkish Cypriot population will be 18-19% of the total population, then we can safely assume that at least 3-4 MP’s out of the total 21 MP’s will be of Turkish Cypriot community origin. If we add the 9 MP’s that will exclusively come out of the Turkish Cypriot community then we have a total of 20-21 MP’s of Turkish Cypriot origin in a parliament of 84 MP’s. This number represents 24%-25% of the entire 84-member house.

Question 3: How will decisions be made in this house?
I am not an expert in this matter but I would say the following. The entire law enactment /law amendment /decision making spectrum will be divided into 3 degrees (spheres.)

-The first degree (level) will include a limited number (area) of very critical issues such as amendments to some fundamental elements /articles of the federal constitution and /or other very crucial issues affecting the relationship of the country with other external organizations, fundamental treaties and inter-country fundamental relationships with Greece and Turkey, critical defense matters, etc. These issues will be pre-defined, will be of a very refined nature and will be dealt with a first-degree special type of voting that will require separate simple majorities from each one sub-component (element) of each of all the three components of the entire house.

In other words it will require at least the following.
1.Communal element
-5 MP’s out of the 9 of the Greek Cypriot community,
-5 MP’s out of the 9 of the Turkish Cypriot community
-2 MP’s out of the 3 of the other communities.

2.Federative Component
-6 MP’s out of the 11 of the Northern State,
-16 MP’s out of the 31 of the Southern State,

3.Unity State Component.
-11 MP’s out of the total of 21 MP’s

-The Second degree (level) will include a broader number (area) of critical issues such as any amendments to the federal constitution and other broader issues affecting the relationship of the country with other external organizations, treaties and inter-country relationships with Greece and Turkey, federal defense matters, federal budget, fiscal and monetary policies, cultural identity matters, etc. In other words, all such issues that are pre-determined to be seating (situated) on the borderline between political ideology assumptions and community belonging and /or State residency assumptions. These issues will also be pre-defined and will be dealt with a second-degree special type of voting that will require separate majorities from each one of all the three components of the entire house.

In other words it will require at least the following.
Communal element-11 MP’s out of the total of the 21 MP’s.

Federative Component-22 MP’s out of the total of the 42 MP’s.
(Here, due to the discrepancy between the MP’s of the North and the South Component States, we can also assume a reinforced majority of 2/3, instead of simple majority. In such a case 28 out of the total 42 MP’s will be needed.)

Unity State Component.
-11 MP’s out of the total of 21 MP’s


-The Third Degree (level) will include all the remaining decision making and legislative work of the Federal Parliament and all such decisions will require simple majority of 43 out of the total 84 MP’s, in a unified (non-separated) composition.

Conclusion
This system accommodates all the various arguments in relation to how a democratic legislative system should function. It incorporates the bi /multi -communal character and interests, the Bi-zonal (bi-component state) interests and the Unitary state (simple majority) arguments. It retains critical elements of community political equality, but at the same time it encourages cooperation between the various communities outside the “ethnic” sphere and on the basis of political ideologies and platforms.


I would like to hear your comments and /or more qiestions on this pproposal.

[cannedmoose]

Kifeas, a well-written and thought-out proposal that I'll need to chew over before giving a full response. On a quick first read, I'd just note that it does seem extremely complex, both in terms of population voting (3 separate ballot papers is a recipe for both confusion and abstention) and parliamentary voting also. I know that the nature of the relationships in Cyprus necessitates a voting system with safeguards, but your solution does appear almost too complicated to work. And it does not prevent either a blocking vote by Turkish Cypriots in matters of high-state, nor the rail-roading of legislation by the Greek Cypriots in more routine matters.

Nonetheless, I'll have a more detailed look later and let you know my thoughts.

[Kifeas]

[Birkibrisli]

Kifeas,
The quick response from from a tired mind (it's2.45am Thursday down under) is that you have done a remarkable job addressing most of the concerns of both sides.I particularly like the Unity Country component as that will force people to bury their ethnic origins and cooperate on the basis of political and ideological affinity grounds.This can only be positive in developing Cypriotness.I will revisit this thread with a fresh mind and hopefully have more to say soon.

[Kifeas]

[Viewpoint]

Kifeas, so in fact Turkish Cypriots will only be able to effect 1st Degree decisions?? the 2nd and 3rd Degrees decisions are totally controlled by Greek Cypriots (plus 3).

Is that fair? and can you please clarify your reasons why?

[Kifeas]

[Viewpoint]

[Kifeas]

I have a lot of answers to give you but I do not have such a utopian ambition to ever be able to convince you on anything. You are a deliberate pessimist and you choose to always see the glass half empty because that's what suits you since what in reality you want is not solution and re-unification but only to seek ways in which to secure and legitimise the past secessionist acts of your leadership.

Just give me an example of a type of decision in the third degree level of issues that you are afraid the majority of Greek Cypriots will enact and which will negativelly affect the Turkish Cypriot, exclusively.

[Viewpoint]

[cannedmoose]

On reflection, I'm also reaching the conclusion that although well-devised, Kifeas plan is probably too cumbersome to work effectively. Although his idea for safeguards on 'high political' areas is a good one, it is clear that the majority of legislation could be passed by one ethnic community alone. I understand that the intent is for unitary political parties to break out of the 'ethnic' minefield, but I think this would be a medium-term aspiration and difficult to achieve in the short-term.

An alternative is the federal solution that we've discussed before. I won't elaborate in any depth here, but essentially it would section the island into two constituent states, each responsible for running the majority of their own affairs, but linked through a federal administration on certain key issues. To be honest, the concept of a unitary administration is a worthy one, but given the degree of separation that has developed between the two communities, I can't envisage it working for a generation at least.

[Kifeas]

[Viewpoint]

[Kifeas]

Viewpoint,
You did not try to address the essence of my postings, nor answered the specific question that I made, because what you care about in not the essence but the symbolisms and whether the Turkish Cypriot community alone, i.e. only the 18% of the population, will have all the power in its hands to obstruct the functioning of the state, the parliament and the government. This is what you care about, namely whether you will have all the power and the facility to obstruct and destroy, practically in all areas and issues, instead of how to synthesize and construct.

I put this proposal up. You came over and read it. But where did you concentrate all your attention? Did you concentrate your attention on how this proposal will allow the two communities to fraternize politically, synthesize, compose and construct together, beyond and above “ethnic” entrenchments and divisive approaches? Nooo! You didn’t care to take this approach! What did you do instead? You concentrated all your attention in order to calculate and determine whether the 18% of the population will have the all too illogical luxury to obstruct, block and destroy what you imagine the total of the remaining population perhaps might want to do against the Turkish Cypriot community, within the context of some notorious conspiracy that will gear them to abandon any ideological differences among themselves and unite under this mission.

What you are up is not how to compose but how to decompose! Admit it Viewpoint!

I addressed to you a question on my previous posting. Why did you neglect to answer it? I repeat the last part of my posting and the question I made to you again.

Can you name one such decision or law that will fall under the 3rd level of decisions (whatever doesn’t fall under 1st and 2nd levels as I roughly described them earlier,) which will make 100% of the Turkish Cypriot MP’s to be against it and at the same time it will unite 72% of the Greek Cypriot MP’s, (obviously originating from the entire political /ideological spectrum,) so that such a decision will eventually be taken on purely “ethnic” grounds?

Just note here that in the constitution there will be a fundamental article (1st level) prohibiting any law enactment that will discriminate and /or solely benefit one community in the profound expense and cost of another community or ethnic group.

If you can find one such case, then I am willing to re-examine my proposal and provide alternative safeguards. I already have something in mind.

[Viewpoint]