Nicosia:Alexandros Lordos, a member of the Steering Committee of the Consultative Body for Civil Society Engagement in the Cyprus Peace Process, expects the first Citizens' Assembly to convene by the end of 2026 or early 2027. This initiative was established by the two leaders last August to engage citizens in the Cyprus peace process.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Lordos emphasized the importance of societal support for the initiative, noting that it would enable leaders to better understand citizens' needs concerning the Cyprus issue. The Steering Committee, comprising five Greek Cypriots and five Turkish Cypriots, aims to facilitate public consultation on issues related to a settlement of the Cyprus problem.
Lordos explained that the committee's responsibility is to highlight issues reflecting the concerns of the political leadership and the negotiating team while convening a representative sample of society. This sample would not be from organized civil society but from the general populace. The views collected would be organized into texts for submission to the political leadership and negotiating team to ensure the process reflects citizens' needs.
The methodology for selecting issues for public consultation is under discussion and will be made public once finalized for transparency. Citizens' Assemblies will involve random sampling of participants, akin to opinion polls, as part of participatory governance best practices.
The hope is to finalize the methodology soon and convene the first assembly by late 2026 or early 2027. This would involve 80 citizens, 40 from each community, around a predetermined agenda. The Steering Committee meets bi-weekly and maintains ongoing communication about arising issues.
Lordos encouraged citizens to support this democratic effort, which seeks to incorporate citizens€™ perspectives into the peace process without altering the decision-making powers of leaders and negotiating teams. The aim is to create a resolution framework that meets the expectations of all Cypriots.