The Referendum of 24 April 2004: A Resounding Victory for Greek Cypriot Nationalism

Abstract

The date 24 April 2004 was a truly historic moment and a real turning point in the modern history of Cyprus.¹ For the first time in their centuries-long coexistence on the island, the Greeks and Turks of Cyprus were called to decide, through popular vote, on the same question concerning the political future of their homeland: if, that is, they were willing to accept a solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of what came to be known as the Annan Plan and, at the same time, to accept the entry of a reunited Cyprus into the European Union. Whereas 76 per cent of Greek Cypriots voted NO to the proposed settlement, 65 per cent of Turkish Cypriots voiced their support for it. The result(s) of the referendum came as a shock to the international community, but seemed quite logical, if not outright predictable, to any objective analyst who has followed political developments in the two Cypriot communities over the past few years.