Paphos municipality has put on ice a prior decision to rename Kemal Ataturk street while trying to pass the buck to the interior ministry, reports said on Tuesday.

The street is located in the Mouttalos neighborhood, inhabited by Turkish Cypriots prior to the 1974 Turkish invasion.

Earlier, the municipality had voted to change the name of the street, which takes its name from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey and the nation’s first president.

The road sign itself is spelled Kemal Atatourk Street.

However, the municipality has not yet acted on its decision to rename the street, nor has it proposed an alternate designation.

The matter appears to have been put on the backburner, daily Politis reports. Since the decision to rename the street was taken in May, the municipal council has not formally discussed the issue again.

The municipality has reportedly written to the interior ministry seeking guidance. For its part, the interior ministry said it has received no such letter, adding that responsibility for naming/renaming streets rests with municipal authorities.

Meanwhile a Disy municipal councilor posted a video on social media calling for the street to be renamed to Michalis Kapetanidis. However, this was a personal suggestion, not a formal motion.

The matter dates back to 2021, when the municipal councilors with the Edek party called for a renaming of the street. At the time, then president Nicos Anastasiades contacted the mayor of Paphos asking him to hold off on the move as it might adversely impact the Cyprus talks process.

Next, a Disy municipal councilor formally requested the name change, with the municipality agreeing and also deciding that they would not seek the government’s opinion.

One reason cited for the delay is administrative in nature. Paphos municipality is currently in the process of codifying a new framework governing the naming and renaming of streets and squares. The prior decision to rename the street in question has therefore been put on hold until the new framework is approved.

Currently, Paphos municipality does not have a regulations manual concerning the naming of streets and squares.

Names as well as street numbers may be proposed by municipal councilors or residents. The municipal council then takes a vote.

In controversial cases, the mayor may put the matter to a local referendum.

Once the municipal council has approved a name, the decision is relayed to the interior ministry. The naming/renaming of a street becomes enshrined in law when the cabinet issues a relevant decree, published in the government gazette.