The interior ministry will conduct a thorough review of the role of deputy mayors, who have voiced concerns over a lack of clear responsibilities and direction, permanent secretary Elikkos Elia said on Thursday. He also dismissed the idea of a “hybrid system” where some boroughs have deputy mayors while others rely on community leaders.

Speaking after a House interior committee meeting on proposed amendments to local administration laws, Elia said the bill clearly defines the duties of deputy mayors and distinguishes them from those of mayors.

“We hope that with the package of amending bills […] the role of deputy mayors will be upgraded,” he said.

Elia added that “the interior ministry is evaluating the institution of deputy mayors generally, both in relation to their number per municipality and their specific duties.”

“If necessary, the ministry will introduce a new bill, which will take effect in the next local administration elections,” he said.

Regarding mukhtars, Elia said they existed before the office of deputy mayors was created and have historically served boroughs effectively.

He noted that their tenure begins alongside the assumption of duties by elected local administration officers, Elia explained, adding that “in this case, an extension was given to the term of the previous ones by cabinet decisions, mainly due to the big change brought about by local administration reforms and until the situation smooths out to a degree in the new environment.”

“Thus, with the expiration of the term of the previous community leaders, we proceeded with the appointment of new parish community leaders, meeting the obligation of the government according to the law,” he said.

Elia stressed that the mukhtars were “not paid by the government, so there is no cost from their appointment.”

On a practical level, he noted that “transferring responsibilities from mukhtars to deputy mayors would be difficult, especially in densely populated municipal districts.”

“Under current legislation, a hybrid system is not possible, meaning deputy mayors cannot oversee smaller municipal boroughs while community leaders manage the larger ones,” he concluded.

Akel MP Aristos Damianou said after the meeting that the committee had spent “hundreds of hours on completing the reform of local administration” and would “continue to participate in a dialogue to improve the reform.”

“Today we discussed the amending bills submitted on January 26,” he said.

Damianou added that “the committee has a series of changes that improve the legislative framework of the municipalities, as well as the communities and district organisations.”

“The issue concerning the community leaders and the broader issues and responsibilities of deputy mayors are very serious and we will look into them during coming meetings of the committee,” he added.