Eleni Mavrou is the mayor of Nicosia

Nicosia

Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...

, Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

. She was elected in December 2006 becoming the first female mayor of Cyprus's capital. Born in Kyrenia

Kyrenia

Kyrenia is a town on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. Internationally recognised as part of the Republic of Cyprus, Kyrenia has been under Turkish control since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974...

 in 1961, her family was forced to leave their house in 1974 due to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus

Turkish invasion of Cyprus

The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...

 and since then has been residing in Nicosia.

Student career

Mavrou initially studied Civil Engineering at the Higher Technical Institute in Nicosia, but continued her education at the University of London

University of London

-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

 where she obtained her BSc degree in Politics and International Relations.

During her student years, Ms Mavrou was actively involved in Cypriot local student movement and later in the progressive youth movement. Among other things, she held the position of Vice President of the Cyprus Federation of Students and Young Scientists, and was appointed Secretary General of EDON.

Political career

As a member of AKEL’s Central Committee, Ms Mavrou’s efforts were focused on the areas of Local Authority and the Environment for many years. In addition, she demonstrated a great interest in human rights issues and played an active role in the women’s movement.

She served as a Councilor on the Nicosia Municipal Council for two consecutive terms from 1986 to 1996. In 2001 she was elected in Nicosia

Nicosia District

For the district of Northern Cyprus, see Lefkoşa District.Nicosia District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island country's capital city, Nicosia...

 to be among AKEL’s members of the House of Representatives

House of Representatives of Cyprus

The House of Representatives is the parliament of Cyprus. It has 59 members elected for a five year term, 56 members by proportional representation and 3 observer members representing the Maronite, Latin and Armenian minorities...

, and was re-elected to the same position in 2006

Cypriot legislative election, 2006

Parliamentary elections were held in Cyprus on 21 May 2006. AKEL and the Democratic Rally both won 18 of the 56 seats. Voter turnout was 89.0%.-Results:...

.

She served as President of the House Committee on the Environment and a member of the House Committees on Internal Affairs and Human Rights.

She was a member of the European Convention on the Future of the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

, and in 2003 was appointed by the House of Representatives as a Cyprus observer at the European Parliament

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

. After Cyprus’s accession to the European Union and until the elected Cyprus Members of the European Parliament took office, Ms Mavrou represented Cyprus at the European Parliament. During the same period, she was a member of the Committee for the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, as well as the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Internal Affairs.

Ms Mavrou has been conferred the Knight of the Order of Merit by the Government of France

Government of France

The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...

.

In the Municipal Elections which were held on 17 December 2006, she ran as the candidate of the Municipal Coalition which united the three parties of AKEL, DIKO and EDEK. She was elected Mayor of Nicosia, and took office on 2 January 2007 and since then she is not a member of House of Representatives.

She is longlisted for the 2008 World Mayor

World Mayor

World Mayor is a biennial award organized by The City Mayors Foundation since 2004. It intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of cities, nationally and internationally...

award.

External links

• CityMayors profile