The Greeks Cypriots

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principles permeated the entire constitutional structure.
The Constitutional Structure
Under Article 1 of the constitution it is provided that Cyprus will be an independent and sovereign Republic with "a President who shall be Greek and a Vice-President, who shall be a Turk, elected by the Greek and Turkish communities of Cyprus respectively (Article 1).
Under the constitution the Greek Cypriot community comprises all citizens of Greek origin. This includes those whose mother tongue is Greek and those who share Greek cultural traditions or are members of the Greek Orthodox Church (Article 2 (1)). The Turkish community comprises all citizens of the Republic who are of Turkish origin, whose mother tongue is Turkish, who share Turkish cultural traditions or who are Moslems (ibid paragraph (2)).
Citizens of the Republic who did not come under the above provisions were given three months to exercise the option of becoming, for constitutional purposes, a member of the Greek or Turkish community. Under this arrangement the Armenian, the Latin and Maronite religious orders opted to belong to the Greek Community.
The 1960 constitution accorded equal status to the Greek and Turkish languages. All legislative, executive and administrative acts and documents were to be drafted in both languages, while judicial proceedings were to be conducted and judgments drawn up in the language of the parties concerned (Art. 3 and 18C). In addition equal rights to fly the national flag of the respective mother countries (Art. 4) and celebrate the respective national holidays were granted (Art.5).
Both communities were given the right of maintaining a special relationship with Greece and Turkey, including the right to receive subsidies for educational, cultural, athletic and charitable institutions, and of obtaining and employing schoolmasters, professors or clergymen provided by the Greek or Turkish government (Art. 108).
The entrenched communal char...