Cyprus: exacerbating authoritarianism

There was more continuity than change in the way the Republic of Cyprus handled the Covid-19 crisis, reflecting the prevalence of entrenched apparatuses and established orthodoxies. The executive branch, already structurally concentrating in its hand’s substantial power via the Doctrine of Necessity, imposed because of the country’s ongoing ethnic conflict and division and the country’s presidential system, was strengthened further as it was effectively ruling by decrees without sufficient parliamentary scrutiny. Opposition parties kept a low profile and avoided to openly confront the government on the core issues, restricting criticism to peripheral matters and questioning the form of measures rather than the policy substance. At the same time, social dialogue was not suspended, and trade unions and employers were invited by the government to submit their views on aspects of the situation relevant to the economy and the labour market. Overall, no major change in policy direction has been evident so far and conservative rhetoric is widespread among government officials. To convey the government response and its surrounding social, economic and political environment, this chapter articulates how authoritarianism finds its specified, local expression and manifests itself into social disempowerment.