Gazimağusa Municipality

Gazimağusa Municipality is the municipal authority that administers the city of Gazimağusa (Famagusta) in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a state recognised only by Turkey. It was established on the territory of the de jure Famagusta Municipality of the Republic of Cyprus after the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the subsequent declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Under international law the area remains part of the Republic of Cyprus, but in practice it is governed by this municipality within the unrecognised northern administration. The municipality provides the standard range of local-government services for the city: urban planning and building control, roads and infrastructure, water supply and sanitation, waste collection and cleanliness, parks and gardens, social services, and cultural and community facilities. Its responsibilities and institutional structure mirror those of other municipalities in Northern Cyprus, operating under the laws of that administration rather than under the Republic of Cyprus. The city it governs, Famagusta, was historically one of the most important ports and tourist centres of Cyprus. Before 1974 the de jure Famagusta Municipality was a major metropolitan authority; its Greek Cypriot administration continued in exile after the division of the island. The present Gazimağusa Municipality administers the northern part of the city, including the areas that were resettled after 1974, while the sealed-off Varosha quarter remains under Turkish military control and is not part of normal municipal life. Because Northern Cyprus is not internationally recognised, the municipality has no formal role in the diplomatic or EU structures that apply to the Republic of Cyprus. Its official website, magusa.org, presents information about municipal services, the mayor and council, and local projects. The municipality is a member of the Union of Municipalities of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and participates in regional cooperation among municipalities in the north of the island.

The municipality's institutional predecessor is the de jure Famagusta Municipality (Δήμος Αμμοχώστου) of the Republic of Cyprus, which traces its modern origins to the British colonial period. Municipal administration in Cyprus began in earnest with the start of British rule in 1878, when the British used existing Ottoman-era councils before introducing elected municipal bodies. The first mayor of Famagusta is recorded as Sotirios Michaelidis (Emfietzis), followed in 1879 by Evangelis Loizou, who was probably the first elected mayor. Until 1943, mayors came mainly from the town's urban elite and wealthy families and carried out significant public works. In 1943, after many years without elections, Adam Adamantos of AKEL was elected mayor. He is regarded as one of the city's most important mayors. Under his administration a Regulatory Development Plan for Famagusta was drawn up in 1947 to address uncontrolled building, especially along the coast; it introduced zoning to separate residential and industrial areas and planned for population growth over the following 50 years. Adamantos also established a nursing home, began building workers' housing in 1948 (48 units in Stavros and 12 inside the walls) for the poor and homeless, organised a soup kitchen, created a nursery, a municipal stadium, municipal baths, moved the slaughterhouse away from residential areas, built a poorhouse, an orphanage and a municipal centre, and improved street paving, electric lighting, water supply and cleanliness. He also began construction of the Municipal Library. Adamantos was succeeded in 1953 by Andreas Pougiouros, also of AKEL, who was mayor during the Turkish invasion of 1974 and became the longest-serving mayor of Famagusta, holding office for more than 30 years. Until 1974 he planned and executed major works that turned Famagusta into a modern and internationally popular tourist city, including the city's sewerage system in 1974, at a time when no other Cypriot city had one. He was declared honorary mayor for life. After the Turkish invasion and occupation of 1974, and the later declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the "Gazimağusa Municipality" was created on the territory of the de jure Famagusta Municipality, belonging to the same-named district of the unrecognised state. The Greek Cypriot municipality continued to exist in exile, while the new administration took over municipal services in the northern part of the city. The sealed-off Varosha quarter, which had been the city's modern tourist and residential heart, remained under Turkish military control and outside normal municipal administration. Over the following decades the municipality operated as one of the main local authorities of Northern Cyprus, providing services to the resettled population and managing the urban area around the old walled city and the northern districts.

• 1974

  Turkish invasion; city's sewerage system completed; Famagusta divided.

• 1953

  Andreas Pougiouros becomes mayor; he serves for more than 30 years.

• 1948

  Construction begins on workers' housing (48 units in Stavros, 12 inside the walls).

• 1947

  Regulatory Development Plan for Famagusta is drawn up to control urban growth.

• 1943

  Adam Adamantos of AKEL is elected mayor after many years without elections.

• 1879

  Evangelis Loizou becomes mayor, probably the first elected mayor of Famagusta.

• 1878

  Start of British rule in Cyprus; municipal administration begins using existing Ottoman-era councils.

• After the invasion and declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Gazimağusa Municipality is created on the territory of the de jure Famagusta Municipality.

Local government authority for the city of Gazimağusa in Northern Cyprus; provides municipal services under the administration of the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

1. 1Gazimağusa Municipalitywikidata.org
2. 2Δήμος Αμμοχώστουel.wikipedia.org