Glafcos Clerides | |
|---|---|
Γλαύκος Κληρίδης | |
 Official portrait, 1993 | |
| 4thPresident of Cyprus | |
| In office 28 February 1993 – 28 February 2003 | |
| Preceded by | George Vassiliou |
| Succeeded by | Tassos Papadopoulos |
| In office 23 July 1974 – 7 December 1974 Acting | |
| Preceded by | Nikos Sampson(acting) |
| Succeeded by | Makarios III |
| 1st President of theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 16 August 1960 – 19 September 1976 | |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | Tassos Papadopoulos |
| 1st President ofDISY | |
| In office 1976–1993 | |
| Succeeded by | Yiannakis Matsis |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 16 August 1960 – 19 September 1976 | |
| Constituency | Nicosia |
| In office 4 June 1981 – 27 February 1993 | |
| Constituency | Nicosia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1919-04-24)24 April 1919 |
| Died | 15 November 2013(2013-11-15) (aged 94) Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Political party | Patriotic Front (1959–1969) Eniaion(1969–1976) Democratic Rally(from 1976) |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | King's College London |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1942-1944 |
Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (Greek:Γλαύκος Ιωάννου Κληρίδης; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was aCypriot statesman, who served asPresident of Cyprus in 1974 and from 1993 to 2003.
A barrister and formerRoyal Air Force pilot, Clerides played an important role in theCypriot struggle for independence, first as a member of the anti-colonial guerrilla organizationEOKA and later in the drafting of the country's constitution. He then served as the first Speaker of theHouse of Representatives from 1960 to 1976, and briefly took over thepresidency of Cyprus on an interim basis following the failure of the1974 coup, overseeing the island's defence amidst theTurkish invasion. Clerides founded the center-rightDemocratic Rally in 1976 and won the presidential election as its candidate in 1993, before securing a second term in 1998. He failed to win a third term in 2003. As President, Clerides presided over a period of significant economic growth and was instrumental in Cyprus' accession to theEuropean Union. Widely respected for his political and legal acumen, he remained an influential figure in Cypriot politics until his death in 2013.
Clerides was born inNicosia. He was the eldest son of the lawyerJohn Clerides and Elli Argyridou. He had one sister, Chrysanthi, and one brother, Xanthos.[1] Clerides marriedLila Erulkar (31 October 1921 – 6 June 2007),[2][3] theIndian Jewish daughter of Abraham Erulkar, personal physician toMahatma Gandhi, in London in 1947.[4][5] They had one daughter,Katherine (born 1949 in London), who went on to serve as a member of the House of the Representatives for the Democratic Rally.[6][7] He died on 15 November 2013 in Nicosia.[8]
During World War II, Clerides served in the BritishRoyal Air Force.[9] In 1942 his airplane was shot down over Germany and he was captured.[9] He remained a prisoner of war until the end of the conflict.[6] His name wasmentioned in dispatches for distinguished services.[10]
Following the war, he studied law atKing's College London and earned anLLB degree in 1948. He wascalled to the bar throughGray's Inn in 1949, and went on to practice law in Cyprus.[11]
During the 1955-59 Cypriot War of Independence, he served in EOKA under the pseudonym 'Hyperides' and defended many of the organization's fighters who had been arrested by the British authorities. One of his most important accomplishments during that time was the composition of a dossier that enumerated and provided evidence on cases of human rights violations by the British, which the Greek government presented to the Council of Europe's Human Rights Committee.[12]
Clerides participated in the 1959 London Conference on Cyprus and during the transitional period from colonial administration to independence (1959–1960), he served as Minister of Justice.[13] During the same period he was head of the Greek Cypriot delegation in the Joint Constitutional Committee.
In July 1960, he was elected to the House of Representatives which, in turn, elected him as its first speaker. He held this position until 22 July 1976. In thefirst presidential election Clerides backedMakarios III, the other candidate being his father Ioannis Clerides.[14]
Following the1974 coup d'état in whichEOKA B, a Greek Cypriotunionist paramilitary organization, overthrew the democratically elected presidentMakarios and installedNikos Sampson, Turkeyinvaded Cyprus. Three days later, Sampson was forced to resign. On the same day, 23 July 1974, Clerides temporarily assumed the duties of the President of the Republic, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution. He exercised these duties until 7 December 1974, the day of the return of Makarios, who was forced to flee on 16 July 1974 on account of the coup. Both Makarios and the House of Representatives thanked Clerides publicly for the task he performed during that period. Critics, especially fromEDEK refer to that period as the post-coup, implying that democracy was not fully restored until the return of Makarios. Clerides on the other hand had repeatedly condemned what he called "violence and counter violence" that led to the coup (i.e. the conflict betweenEOKA-B and "Efedriko", a special paramilitary police body formed to fight EOKA-B).
In 1976 he founded theDemocratic Rally (DISY). He was a candidate for the presidency of Cyprus five times between 1983 and 2003 and elected to two five-year terms, in 1993 and in 1998.
Clerides was the author of an autobiographical over-toned depiction of 20th centuryCypriot history,My Deposition, in four volumes (Alithia Publishing, Cyprus, 1988).
Clerides was elected president of the Republic of Cyprus in 1993 and was re-elected in 1998.
His government played a crucial role in Cyprus' accession to the European Union, with negotiations starting in 1998 and successfully concluding in 2002. It is noteworthy that Clerides achieved Cyprus' accession to the European Union without a prerequisite of a solution to the Cyprus problem.
Under his leadership, Cyprus boasted a stable economy that made it the wealthiest of the ten countries that joined the European Union in 2004.
Clerides' presidency was also marked by efforts to strengthen the defensive capabilities of theCypriot National Guard. In November 1993, the "Defense Doctrine of the Single Area" was declared byGreece and Cyprus, with its main characteristic being its defensive nature and the goal of preventing or dealing with any aggressive action against either party. With the declaration of the doctrine, Greece's commitment to considering any Turkish attempt to advance in free Cyprus as a cause of war was emphasized.
His administration's purchase ofS-300 air-defense missiles in 1997 resulted in a rapidly escalatingpolitical standoff between Cyprus andTurkey. Under heavy international pressure, Clerides decided to transfer the S-300s to theHellenic Air Force in exchange for alternative weapons from Greece.
He was defeated in the2003 presidential election byTassos Papadopoulos,[15] after a campaign with heavy emphasis on theAnnan Plan.[16]
From 1959 to 1960 Clerides held the position of President of the CyprusRed Cross. In recognition of his outstanding services he was awarded a Certificate of Honor and Life Membership.[17] He was also named an Honorary Member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.[18]
Posthumously, the Republic of Cyprus gave his name toLarnaca International Airport.
Holy See: Knight of the Collar of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre[19]
Malta: Companion of Honour with Collar of theNational Order of Merit (5 September 2002)[20]
Russia:Jubilee Medal "60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (9 May 2005)[21]
Greece: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Redeemer| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Acting President of Cyprus July 1974 – December 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of Cyprus 1993–2003 | Succeeded by |
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