The aim is to convene the first Citizens’ Assembly by the end of 2026 or, at the latest, in early 2027, Alexandros Lordos, a member and representative of the Coordinating Committee of the Civil Society Advisory Body, told CNA.
The Advisory Body was established by the two leaders last August. Lordos called on society to support the initiative, saying it could contribute to a better understanding of citizens’ needs when the two leaders make decisions on the Cyprus issue.
He explained that the Body’s purpose is to support public consultation on matters concerning a settlement of the Cyprus issue. The group consists of five Greek Cypriots and five Turkish Cypriots who, he said, essentially serve as the Secretariat of the initiative.
Process close to society
Their responsibility is to bring forward for discussion issues that reflect the concerns of the political leadership and the negotiating team on the Cyprus issue, while also identifying and convening a representative sample of society as a whole.
The sample will not come from organised civil society, such as non-governmental organisations, but from society at large. Citizens will have the opportunity to discuss the issues and express their concerns, preferences and reservations. The Secretariat will then organise these views into texts to be submitted to the political leadership and the negotiating team, so that the Cyprus settlement process is closer to citizens and reflects their needs and concerns.
Asked who would decide which issues would be put to civil society, Lordos said this was a methodological matter currently under discussion. He said a participatory process was being considered, through which views would be collected from various sources on the topics that could be discussed.
He noted that it was still too early to present the exact selection method, adding that the methodology would be made public once finalised, for the purposes of transparency and public scrutiny.
According to Lordos, the group’s immediate responsibility is to work with the Turkish Cypriot representatives on the joint formulation of the methodology through which the citizens’ assemblies will be formed. The agenda for the first assembly will then be developed and the method for inviting citizens will be determined.
Random sampling
As he said, the two leaders, on the basis also of their agreement with the United Nations Secretary-General, have instructed that citizens be selected through random sampling. Participation will not be based on individuals volunteering themselves or on organisations nominating representatives.
He compared the process to an opinion poll, in which participants are contacted randomly. He said this practice is applied internationally in the development of participatory governance mechanisms and is considered best practice.
Responding to criticism that civil society participation in the negotiations lacks legitimacy because those involved are not democratically elected and are self-selected, Lordos said the group had been tasked with safeguarding a purely democratic process open to citizens without preconditions.
He expressed the hope that the discussion on the methodology would be completed in the coming days. The group, he said, was at an advanced stage, had already considered specific options and might publish the relevant data so that the process could begin immediately.
Developing framework
The aim is for the first Citizens’ Assembly to take place by the end of 2026 or, at the latest, in early 2027. The process will involve 80 citizens, 40 from each community, who will discuss a specific agenda, possibly over several days.
Lordos also said that members of the Advisory Body meet every two weeks and remain in continuous contact regarding issues that arise.
He called on citizens and wider society to support the initiative, which, he said, responds to a longstanding demand for a more democratic process for resolving the Cyprus issue.
He clarified that the citizens’ assembly process would not remove any of the existing powers and responsibilities of the leaders and negotiating teams. Decisions would continue to be taken by them, but with a better understanding of citizens’ needs.
“The more this effort is embraced by citizens, the more correctly this participation will take place, so that a framework for resolving the Cyprus issue can be shaped that meets the expectations of the entire people,” he said.
Source: CNA
