The 2004 Annan Plan Referendum: Who Voted Yes, Who Voted No, and What Followed?

Why It Matters

The 2004 referendums are the only time both Cypriot communities voted on a complete UN settlement blueprint. Turkish Cypriots approved it by 64.91%, Greek Cypriots rejected it by 75.83%, and because the plan required a yes on both sides it did not enter into force. A week later the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU, which is why the vote still shapes the debate on federation, isolation and 'two states' today.

Background

What was on the ballot

The plan voted on was the fifth revision of the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's proposal, finalised at Bürgenstock, Switzerland, on 31 March 2004. Under a 13 February 2004 arrangement in New York between the two leaders, Greece and Türkiye, Annan was empowered to complete unresolved points himself before the plan went to simultaneous, separate referendums.

Its main features were:

• Structure: a 'United Cyprus Republic' with two constituent states, a Greek Cypriot State and a Turkish Cypriot State, under a federal government with a rotating presidency and a Presidential Council.
• Legislature and courts: a Senate divided equally between the communities, a Chamber of Deputies elected proportionally but guaranteeing the Turkish Cypriot community a minimum share of seats, and a Supreme Court with equal numbers of judges from each community plus non-Cypriot judges.
• Territory: territorial adjustments leaving the Turkish Cypriot constituent state with just under 30% of the island.
• Property and return: a mix of reinstatement and compensation, with limits on how much property and territory could be reclaimed.
• Security: a phased reduction of Turkish and Greek contingents (to 650 and 950 troops respectively under the plan's schedule), with the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee and Treaty of Alliance continuing to apply. For the treaty text, see The Cyprus File: The 1959–1960 Treaty Documents, Annotated.

Chronology

The result

Turnout was high on both sides, in the region of 87–89%. In the Turkish Cypriot vote, 64.91% said yes. In the Greek Cypriot vote, 75.83% said no and 24.17% yes. Neither vote alone could carry the plan, so the Foundation Agreement lapsed. For a fact-check framing of the common claim that Turkish Cypriots rejected the plan, see The State Papers: Fact Check: Did Turkish Cypriots Reject the Annan Plan?

Key Players & Positions

Greek Cypriot leadership

President Tassos Papadopoulos urged a 'no' vote in a televised address on 7 April 2004. Greek Cypriot opponents of the plan raised five main objections:

• Security arrangements that retained the Treaty of Guarantee and the continued presence of Turkish troops.
• Provisions on Turkish settlers and on residence.
• Limits on property restitution and on the number of returning Greek Cypriots.
• Doubts about whether the federal institutions would work in practice.
• A lack of firm guarantees that the plan would be implemented.

The communist-rooted AKEL also campaigned for rejection. Nicos Anastasiades's DISY supported a yes vote. The Greek Cypriot side's position today is that Cyprus's EU membership is lawful, that the Turkish Cypriot declaration of 1983 was declared legally invalid by UN Security Council Resolution 541, and that the settlement framework is a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as set out in UN resolutions.

The United Nations

The UN has consistently framed the goal as a federation based on political equality. In his May 2004 report, Secretary-General Annan said Greek Cypriot voters had rejected the plan and called on the international community to eliminate unnecessary restrictions and barriers that have the effect of isolating Turkish Cypriots. The UN continues to treat the Republic of Cyprus as the internationally recognised state and does not recognise the TRNC.

The European Union

The EU admitted Cyprus as a whole, but Protocol 10 to the Accession Treaty suspended the acquis in areas not under the effective control of the Republic's government. The Council's 26 April 2004 conclusions expressed a wish to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community. Two instruments followed: the Green Line Regulation 866/2004 and the Aid Regulation 389/2006 (EUR 259 million). The Commission's proposed Direct Trade Regulation was never adopted, blocked in the Council by the Republic of Cyprus, which argues that direct trade would amount to a step towards recognition.

Later negotiation rounds

• Crans-Montana (28 June–7 July 2017): UN Secretary-General António Guterres convened Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı, with the guarantor powers (Türkiye, Greece, the UK) and the EU as observer. The conference closed without agreement over security, guarantees and troops, and each side blamed the other.
• Geneva (27–29 April 2021): An informal 5+UN meeting under Guterres ended with the UN stating that no common ground existed to resume formal negotiations. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Ankara argued for a settlement based on two sovereign equal states, while the Greek Cypriot side and the UN kept the federal framework.
• New York (15 October 2024): An informal meeting hosted by Guterres with the two leaders. The UN characterised it as an exchange exploring a way forward and confidence-building steps. Turkish and Turkish Cypriot officials read it as confirming the absence of common ground on federation, while the Greek Cypriot side reaffirmed its commitment to the UN-defined framework.

Leadership changes can shift the positions on both sides, so readers should check the latest UN statements. For a comparative analysis of the post-2004 rounds, see Record of Nations: Annan Plan 2004 and Crans-Montana 2017.

Source Comparison

When reading media accounts, check whether they mention that the two votes were separate, that Protocol 10 limits EU law in the north, and that the UN and EU described the isolation of Turkish Cypriots as something to be ended. Related analyses: Regions & Powers on why federation talks failed and The Polity Brief on the federation model.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• Annan Plan: the UN's comprehensive settlement blueprint, put to separate referendums on 24 April 2004.
• Bizonal, bicommunal federation (BBF): the UN settlement framework with two constituent states and political equality.
• Protocol 10: the part of Cyprus's 2003 Accession Treaty that suspends the EU acquis in areas not under the government's effective control.
• Treaty of Guarantee (1960): the treaty under which Türkiye, Greece and the UK guarantee the independence and constitutional order of Cyprus.
• TRNC: the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, proclaimed on 15 November 1983 and recognised only by Türkiye.
• 5+UN: the format of the two sides, the three guarantor powers and the UN, used in 2017 (with the EU as observer) and 2021.

Related guides: The Cyprus File, The Maritime File: A Document Trail of Blue Homeland, 2004–2025 for the hydrocarbon dimension, Editorial Principles and Primary Source Standards and About Regional File.

Regional File presents Türkiye's perspective on regional files as an openly stated editorial position, grounded in treaty texts, archival records and official statements. Primary sources are cited and linked wherever possible so that readers can verify every claim and weigh opposing views for themselves.

Regional File Editorial Team