The first meeting of party leaders and representatives in the newly elected House of Representatives is set to take place at noon on Tuesday under the chairmanship of House President Annita Demetriou.

The meeting marks the beginning of arrangements for the new parliamentary term, just days after the formation of the new legislature and Demetriou’s re-election as speaker of the House.

Discussions are expected to focus on the procedural steps required for the operation of the new parliament, as well as preparations for the establishment of parliamentary committees. A key issue on the agenda will be the allocation of committee chairmanships, following the election of the Selection Committee, which is scheduled to take place during Thursday’s plenary session.

The distribution of committee chair positions has already sparked behind-the-scenes negotiations and disagreements among political parties.

Parties with parliamentary groups of at least eight MPs argue that, under the provisions of the House rules and the Constitution, committee chairmanships should primarily be allocated among them. Smaller parties represented by four MPs, however, have pointed to practices followed during previous parliamentary terms, when committee chairmanships were also granted to parties that did not qualify as parliamentary groups.

The meeting will be held at the House of Representatives, where parties are expected to outline their initial positions on the allocation of parliamentary offices and the smooth commencement of the new legislative session.