If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again: (Re)Designing Referenda to Ratify a Peace Treaty in Cyprus

Abstract

The latest round of negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem commenced in 2008 with a pledge to submit any agreement to separate simultaneous referenda. Unlike the aborted Annan Plan that was rejected in referenda in 2004, this round of negotiations wasmeant to be qualitatively different in being for and by Cypriots. This article assesses the negotiations given the 2004 precedent and legacies. Does the current process entail a qualitatively different approach to design that could affect the outcome of a future referendum? Opportunities to bring citizens into the process have been missed. Moreover, due to stalemates, the international mediators have had to exert more pressure, leading to internationalization and nullifying the Cypriot-led process.