The operation of the advisory council came under scrutiny on Friday after Akel accused the body of being bypassed during the appointment of semi-state organisation boards.

Institutions Committee chairman and Disy MP Demetris Demetriou said the matter had been registered after “the issue that arose at Cyta and the information regarding appointments of individuals without applying”.

Akel has alleged that individuals were appointed to semi-state boards without first submitting applications to the advisory council, claiming that if confirmed, the body was “completely annulled” and used as an alibi to promote predetermined appointments.

The party called on President Nikos Christodoulides and members of the Advisory Council to explain the process, arguing that if appointments were made without applications being submitted, those responsible should resign.

Otherwise, it said, they would bear “full political and institutional responsibility” for discrediting the institution.

The government moved on Friday to replace a newly appointed member of Cyta’s board of directors following concerns over a possible conflict of interest.

Speaking on CyBC, deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said the decision had been taken “in the spirit of good governance” after it emerged that the appointee had not declared his relationship with the authority during the selection process.

According to Antoniou, such an omission created a potential conflict of interest, and the government would proceed with appointing a replacement.

The development came after the Cyta employees’ union Aset called on President Nikos Christodoulides and the cabinet to revoke the appointment.

The appointee, Loizos Economides, is a retired senior Cyta executive whose wife remains employed by the organisation.

Aset also argued that he serves on the management committee of the staff pension and benefits fund, while at the time of submitting his application he was vice president of the staff union and a member of its negotiating team.

Aset said the appointment amounted to “a blatant case of conflict of interest and institutional incompatibility” and questioned whether the advisory council had properly examined the case before submitting its recommendations to the cabinet.

Akel said the Cyta controversy exemplified wider concerns over the government’s approach to appointments, claiming the process “essentially confirms the dissolution of the advisory council” and accusing the government of favouring political expediency over merit-based selection.

The party also criticised the wider appointments process, saying “semi-state organisations are not a field for paying off political bills” and arguing they require independent administrations committed to their public role.

The cabinet appointed some 85 members for new boards for 11 semi-state organisations and public bodies on Thursday, including the electricity authority (EAC), Cyta, CyBC, Thok, the University of Cyprus and Tepak.

Pavlos Pavlou, a veteran journalist and broadcaster who spent more than two decades at CyBC, has been appointed as the state broadcaster’s chair.

Maria Tsiakka was reappointed as Cyta chairwoman, while Loizos Loizou was named chairman of the EAC.