Cyprus citizenship exam question highlights distinction in political system

Nicosia, Cyprus. A question in Cyprus’s July 4 citizenship exam for third-country nationals asked candidates to identify inaccurate information about the country’s institutions and policies.

Exam question

The question listed four statements: that national service is mandatory for male Cypriot citizens; that the Republic of Cyprus joined the Eurozone in 2008; that Cyprus has a parliamentary democracy; and that it has a deputy ministry of shipping rather than a ministry of shipping.

The inaccurate statement was that Cyprus has a parliamentary democracy. Cyprus is a presidential democracy.

Greek terminology

The distinction may be difficult for candidates taking the examination in Greek. The term used for “parliamentary democracy” was “proedrevomeni dimokratia,” which can be rendered as “president-led democracy.”

The Greek term for “presidential democracy” is “proedriki dimokratia,” a similar expression that could lead candidates with limited Greek proficiency to misread the question.