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The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from Cyprus

This page contains a list of the greatest Cypriot Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 15,577 Politicians, 29 of which were born in Cyprus. This makes Cyprus the birth place of the 83rd most number of Politicians behind Somalia and Ethiopia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Cypriot Politicians of all time. This list of famous Cypriot Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Cypriot Politicians.

1. Ptolemy XII Auletes (-117 - -51)

With an HPI of 69.73, Ptolemy XII Auletes is the most famous Cypriot Politician. His biography has been translated into 46 different languages on wikipedia.

Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysus Philopator Philadelphus (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Νέος Διόνυσος Φιλοπάτωρ Φιλάδελφος, translit. Ptolemaios Neos Dionysos Philopatōr Philadelphos; c. 117 – 51 BC) was a king of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt who ruled from 80 to 58 BC and then again from 55 BC until his death in 51 BC. He was commonly known as Auletes (Αὐλητής, "the Flautist"), referring to his love of playing the flute in Dionysian festivals. A member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, he was a descendant of its founder Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great.Ptolemy XII was an illegitimate son of Ptolemy IX by an uncertain mother. In 116 BC, Ptolemy IX became co-regent with his mother, Cleopatra III. However, he was forced into a civil war against his mother and his brother, Ptolemy X, leading to his exile in 107 BC. Cleopatra III sent her grandsons to Kos in 103 BC. They were captured by Mithridates VI of Pontus probably in 88 BC, around the time Ptolemy IX returned to the Egyptian throne. After their father died in 81 BC, Ptolemy XII's half-sister Berenice III took the throne. She was soon murdered by her cousin and co-regent, Ptolemy XI, who was then killed. At this point, Ptolemy XII was recalled from Pontus and proclaimed pharaoh, while his brother, also named Ptolemy, was installed as king of Cyprus. Ptolemy XII married his relative Cleopatra V, who was likely one of his sisters or cousins; they had at least one child together, Berenice IV, and Cleopatra V was likely also the mother of his second daughter, Cleopatra VII. The king's three youngest children – Arsinoe IV, Ptolemy XIII, and Ptolemy XIV – were born to an unknown mother. Ptolemy XII's uncle Ptolemy X had left Egypt to Rome in the event there were no surviving heirs, making Roman annexation of Egypt a possibility. In an effort to prevent this, Ptolemy XII established an alliance with Rome late into his first reign. Rome annexed Cyprus in 58 BC, causing Ptolemy of Cyprus to commit suicide. Shortly afterwards, Ptolemy XII was deposed by the Egyptian people and fled to Rome, and his eldest daughter, Berenice IV, took the throne. With Roman funding and military assistance, Ptolemy XII recaptured Egypt and had Berenice IV killed in 55 BC. He named his daughter Cleopatra VII as his co-regent in 52 BC. He died the next year and was succeeded by Cleopatra VII and her brother Ptolemy XIII as joint rulers.

2. Makarios III (1913 - 1977)

With an HPI of 67.40, Makarios III is the 2nd most famous Cypriot Politician. His biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

Makarios III (Greek: Μακάριος Γ΄; born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos) (Greek: Μιχαήλ Χριστοδούλου Μούσκος) (13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977) was a Greek Cypriot politician, archbishop and primate who served as the first president of Cyprus and in which is widely regarded as the Father of the Nation or "Ethnarch". He was also the leader of the autocephalous Church of Cyprus (1950–1977).

3. Nicos Anastasiades (1946 - )

With an HPI of 66.89, Nicos Anastasiades is the 3rd most famous Cypriot Politician. His biography has been translated into 64 different languages.

Nicos Anastasiades (Greek: Νίκος Αναστασιάδης [ˈnikos anastasiˈaðis]; born 27 September 1946) is a Greek Cypriot politician who served as the seventh president of Cyprus from 2013 to 2023. He was first elected in 2013, and then re-elected in 2018. Previously, he was the leader of Democratic Rally between 1997 and 2013 and served as Member of Parliament from Limassol between 1981 and 2013.

4. Tassos Papadopoulos (1934 - 2008)

With an HPI of 60.58, Tassos Papadopoulos is the 4th most famous Cypriot Politician. His biography has been translated into 49 different languages.

Efstathios "Tassos" Nikolaou Papadopoulos (Greek: Ευστάθιος (Τάσσος) Νικολάου Παπαδόπουλος; 7 January 1934 – 12 December 2008) was a Greek Cypriot politician and barrister who served as the fifth president of Cyprus from 2003 to 2008.

5. Rauf Denktaş (1924 - 2012)

With an HPI of 59.02, Rauf Denktaş is the 5th most famous Cypriot Politician. His biography has been translated into 49 different languages.

Rauf Raif Denktaş (27 January 1924 – 13 January 2012) was a Turkish Cypriot politician, barrister and jurist who served as the founding president of Northern Cyprus. He occupied this position as the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus between the declaration of the de facto state by Denktaş in 1983 and 2005, as the president of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus between 1975 and 1983 and as the president of the Autonomous Turkish Cypriot Administration between 1974 and 1975. He was also elected in 1973 as the vice-president of the Republic of Cyprus.

6. Glafcos Clerides (1919 - 2013)

With an HPI of 58.62, Glafcos Clerides is the 6th most famous Cypriot Politician. His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (Greek: Γλαύκος Ιωάννου Κληρίδης; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was a Greek Cypriot politician and barrister who served as the fourth president of Cyprus from 1993 to 2003. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former President of Cyprus.

7. Alparslan Türkeş (1917 - 1997)

With an HPI of 57.65, Alparslan Türkeş is the 7th most famous Cypriot Politician. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Alparslan Türkeş (Turkish pronunciation: [alˈpaɾsɫan tyɾˈceʃ]; 25 November 1917 – 4 April 1997) was a Turkish politician, who was the founder and president of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Grey Wolves (Ülkü Ocakları). He represented the far-right of the Turkish political spectrum. He was and still is called Başbuğ ("Leader") by his devotees.

8. Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus (1155 - 1196)

With an HPI of 57.36, Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus is the 8th most famous Cypriot Politician. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Isaac Doukas Komnenos (or Ducas Comnenus, c. 1155 – 1195/1196) was a claimant to the Byzantine Empire and the ruler of Cyprus from 1184 to 1191. Contemporary sources commonly refer to him as the emperor of Cyprus. He lost the island to King Richard I of England during the Third Crusade.

9. Anne of Cyprus (1418 - 1462)

With an HPI of 57.16, Anne of Cyprus is the 9th most famous Cypriot Politician. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Anne of Cyprus (or Anne de Lusignan) (24 September 1418 – 11 November 1462) was a Duchess of Savoy by marriage to Louis, Duke of Savoy. She was the daughter of King Janus of Cyprus and Charlotte of Bourbon; and a member of the Poitiers-Lusignan crusader dynasty. She was highly influential in the Duchy of Savoy and acted as the political advisor and the de facto ruler on the wish of her spouse.

10. Spyros Kyprianou (1932 - 2002)

With an HPI of 56.56, Spyros Kyprianou is the 10th most famous Cypriot Politician. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Spyros Achilleos Kyprianou (Greek: Σπύρος Κυπριανού; 28 October 1932 – 12 March 2002) was one of the most prominent politicians and barristers of modern Cyprus. He served as the second president of Cyprus from 1977 to 1988. Spyrou Kyprianou Avenue (Greek: Λεωφόρος Σπύρου Κυπριανού) in Nicosia was named after him posthumously, as well as a plethora of other streets across the island.

People

Pantheon has 29 people classified as politicians born between 117 BC and 1960. Of these 29, 8 (27.59%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living politicians include Nicos Anastasiades, Mustafa Akıncı, and Ersin Tatar. The most famous deceased politicians include Ptolemy XII Auletes, Makarios III, and Tassos Papadopoulos. As of April 2022, 6 new politicians have been added to Pantheon including Constantine II, King of Armenia, Ersin Tatar, and Hugh IV of Cyprus.