The 2004 Annan Plan Referendum: What Do the Vote Records Show, and What Followed for the Turkish Cypriots?

Why It Matters

The Annan Plan referendums of 24 April 2004 produced two opposite results on the same day: 64.91% of Turkish Cypriot voters said yes and 75.83% of Greek Cypriot voters said no. Because the plan required approval in both votes, it failed, yet a week later the Greek Cypriot-administered south entered the European Union while Turkish Cypriots stayed outside the EU's legal framework. That sequence is the starting point for almost every later argument about federation, EU isolation and the 'two-state' proposal.

Background

The 2004 vote came at the end of a long negotiating arc. The 1960 Republic of Cyprus was built on the political equality of two communities under the 1959 Zurich and London Agreements and the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee. The partnership order broke down in 1963-1964 (see Cyprus Files: The 1963–1964 Record, from the Thirteen Amendments to 'Bloody Christmas'), and UN Security Council Resolution 186 of 4 March 1964 later became a point of dispute over who represents 'the Government of Cyprus' (see UN Security Council Resolution 186 (1964): What Does the Text Say, and Why Does Ankara Object?).

After 1974 and the 1977 and 1979 High-Level Agreements, which set a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation as the goal, the UN conducted successive rounds of talks. In 2002 Secretary-General Kofi Annan tabled a comprehensive plan. It went through several revisions; the fifth version, dated 31 March 2004, was the text put to voters. The EU's December 1999 Helsinki European Council had already stated that a settlement would not be a precondition for Cyprus's accession, which meant the accession date and the referendum date were closely linked.

What the plan proposed

• A 'United Cyprus Republic': a federation made up of a Turkish Cypriot constituent state and a Greek Cypriot constituent state, with a single international legal personality.
• Shared federal institutions: a Presidential Council, a two-chamber parliament with equal representation of the two constituent states in the Senate, and a Supreme Court with equal numbers of judges from each side plus non-Cypriot members.
• Territorial adjustment: the area under Turkish Cypriot administration would shrink, with the Turkish Cypriot state reduced to roughly 28% of the island.
• Security: the 1960 treaty system (Guarantee and Alliance) would remain in force alongside a phased drawdown of troops.
• Property and residence: limits on the return of property and on the right of residence, designed to preserve the bi-zonal character of the two states.
• Gap-filling: where talks left gaps, the Secretary-General was authorized to complete the text, which became a political point of contention.

The vote record

The two communities voted separately on the same day. Turnout was high on both sides, roughly 87-89%.

Under the referendum arrangements, approval by both communities was required. The result therefore did not create a federation, and the UN plan lapsed.

What followed

Key Players & Positions

Greek Cypriot leadership

In 2004 the Greek Cypriot leadership under President Tassos Papadopoulos urged a 'no' vote in a televised address on 7 April 2004. The Greek Cypriot side's stated reasons, set out in its own official statements and later academic and political commentary, were that the plan did not provide sufficient security guarantees, kept the Treaty of Guarantee and a Turkish military presence in place, restricted the return of displaced persons and property, and created a federal structure that might prove dysfunctional. Some also objected that the timetable and the Secretary-General's gap-filling powers left too little room for negotiation.

The EU and the UN

The European Commission and several member states had encouraged a 'yes' vote. After the result, EU officials expressed regret, and Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen publicly said that he felt let down by the Greek Cypriot leadership. On 26 April 2004 EU foreign ministers pledged to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. The UN Secretary-General's report of 28 May 2004 recognized the Turkish Cypriot vote and urged the international community to avoid unnecessary restrictions on the community. The Republic of Cyprus nevertheless entered the EU on 1 May 2004, and the EU's own position is that its accession covers the entire island, with the acquis suspended in the north under Protocol 10.

Greece and the United Kingdom

Greece and the UK, as co-guarantors with Türkiye, were involved in the plan's security chapters. The UK has remained a guarantor and also retains Sovereign Base Areas on the island under the 1960 arrangements.

Turkish Cypriot leadership

In 2004, the then Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktaş opposed the plan, but the community voted in favor by a large majority after a campaign led by Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat and others. Turkish Cypriot leaders since then have adopted varying positions on the shape of a settlement. Readers should check the current leadership's stance, as positions have changed with elections.

Source Comparison

The vote totals themselves are not disputed, as both communities' results were published and are in UN and EU records. The disagreement concerns causation and consequences. Sister publications have analyzed these claims in detail: The Nations Dialogue: Fact Check: Did Turkish Cypriots Reject the Annan Plan? What the 24 April 2004 Referendum Results Show addresses the common misreading that Turkish Cypriots rejected the plan, while Record of Nations: Annan Plan 2004 and Crans-Montana 2017: Why Federation Talks Collapsed follows the later failures.

For a reading of the later UN meetings, see Regions & Powers: Why Cyprus Federation Talks Failed: The Annan Plan, Crans-Montana and the 2024 New York Meeting. For Cyprus's links to energy and maritime questions, see The Drilling Record: Eight Eastern Mediterranean Wells and the Vessels That Drilled Them.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• Annan Plan: the comprehensive UN settlement proposal named after Secretary-General Kofi Annan; the fifth version was put to referendum in 2004.
• Bi-zonal, bi-communal federation: the UN-endorsed framework since 1977 and 1979, with two constituent states and political equality.
• Protocol 10: the part of the 2003 Accession Treaty that suspends the EU acquis in areas of Cyprus where the government does not exercise effective control.
• Treaty of Guarantee (1960): the treaty between Cyprus, Greece, Türkiye and the UK on which Ankara bases its guarantor rights.
• Crans-Montana (2017): the UN-facilitated conference in Switzerland that ended without agreement, mainly over security and guarantees.
• TRNC: the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, proclaimed on 15 November 1983 and recognized only by Türkiye.

Related Politics Record resources: The Treaty Archive, UN Security Council Resolution 186 (1964), Cyprus Files: 1963–1964, Editorial Principles and About Politics Record.

Perspective Note

Politics Record presents analysis from a Türkiye-informed perspective, grounded in Turkish official positions, treaty texts and international law. Claims are attributed to primary sources such as treaties, UN documents, parliamentary records and state archives, and readers are encouraged to verify them independently. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources. — Politics Record Editorial Team