For nearly fifty years Cyprus has attracted considerable international attention. However while numerous volumes have been written on the causes and consequences of the conflict between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities and the many efforts to reunite the island very little work has been done on the domestic politics and society in the Republic of Cyprus. This volume addresses this major gap in the literature by providing the first comprehensive examination of the institutions of governance and the political environment in Cyprus. As well as focusing on issues such as the presidency parliament the legal system local government and civil society it also analyses and explains the historical development of politics in Cyprus and the ways in which the conflict between the two communities the division of the island and more recently European Union accession have all affected the conduct of politics and system of government.