The main objective of the article is to specify the reasons why, unlike in other EU countries affected by the financial crisis, no restrictions on civil liberties, characteristic of the neo-militant democracy, were introduced in the Republic of Cyprus. These liberties include the limitation to the freedom of assembly, the freedom of the press, the freedom of speech, the freedom of association, and the freedom of religion. The author applied qualitative source analysis as the main research technique. The analysed publications include legal acts adopted by the legislative and executive bodies of the Republic of Cyprus between 2012 and 2019 as well as reports of various non-governmental organizations monitoring respect for civil liberties in Cyprus. The study covers the period between 2012 and 2019. The initial turning point is the year of a sudden financial meltdown and the consequent budget problems, banking system crisis and social unrest. In turn, the final turning point was 2019, namely the last year before the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The article contributes to research on the concept of neo-militant democracy in contemporary European countries in the context of the functioning of the Republic of Cyprus during the financial crisis.
Keywords: Cyprus, financial crisis, democracy, neo-militant democracy, civil liberties.
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