#parliament

By a majority vote, parliament on Thursday gave the thumbs-down to President Nicos Anastasiades’ challenge to legislation on local government reform – the fate of which could now hang in the ...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday called on Cyprus to close its ports to all Russian ships and to deny “privileges” to Russian nationals, as part of an effort to ...

Parliament on Thursday passed legislation establishing a junior ministry of culture under the umbrella of the education ministry. The voting went 34 for, 13 against – with the MPs of main opposition Akel ...

Parliament has passed amendments extending the ban on specific single-use plastics (SUPs) to September 30 this year, notwithstanding the EU directive should have been transposed into law by July 2021. The new ...

House President Annita Demetriou has tested positive for the coronavirus, she announced on Wednesday. On her Twitter feed, Demetriou posted: “Following a PCR test I was found positive to the ...

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a law on combatting terrorism, harmonising with a relevant EU directive over which Cyprus had earlier been warned for non-compliance. The bill passed ...

The House on Thursday passed three bills comprising the much-delayed reform of local government, rearranging and consolidating the current 30 municipalities into 20. The legislation relating to municipalities passed with 52 votes for, ...

Young people debated the future of Europe at parliament on Tuesday, with House president Annita Demetriou calling it a chance to practise “participatory democracy.” The event titled ‘Your opinion for ...

The 65-year-old building housing Limassol police headquarters needs maintenance and improvement as a matter of urgency, House legal affairs committee president Nicos Tornaritis said on Friday after he headed a ...

Parliament on Thursday handed independent MP Andreas Themistocleous a verbal reprimand over his inappropriate behaviour last September toward an official with the Green Party. The decision on Themistocleous’ penalty – essentially ...

Parliament on Thursday postponed voting on two items of legislation – the first creating an anti-corruption authority, the second regulating lobbying – but will go ahead with the vote next week. Nicos ...

Parliament on Thursday passed regulations banning outright the use of carrier plastic bags – such as those used in supermarkets and kiosks. The regulations passed with 37 votes for, while the two ...

Opposition lawmakers on Thursday expressed disappointment at the latest version of a bill governing the state’s handling of pandemics, saying it still failed to address concerns over curtailing human ...

Barring the unexpected, the legislation on local government reform will go to the plenum for a vote one month from now, it transpired on Thursday. Speaking after a session of ...

Parliament on Thursday passed a law on the protection of whistleblowers, hailed by MPs as an important step in cracking down on corruption in the public sector. The legislation passed ...

Following pressure from opposition lawmakers, the government has agreed to amend certain provisions of the ‘Dangerous Infectious Diseases Law of 2021’, which will repeal and replace the current Quarantine Law under ...

Parliament donated a total of €6,500 to Nicosia’s Makarios Children’s Hospital on Thursday destined for the purchase of a high-tech cardiotocograph, an instrument used to monitor the foetal heartbeat ...

President Nicos Anastasiades has decided for “reasons of public interest” not to veto a House decision to dismiss four presidential associates — previously contract workers – who had been granted permanent civil ...

Following a three-day debate, parliament on Friday evening approved the state budget for 2022 with 30 votes in favour and 25 against. The bill was voted by ruling Disy, Diko, Dipa, and independent ...

The government’s proposed 2022 state budget is set to pass at Friday’s voting session as Diko and Dipa are set to support ruling Disy. The three parties number enough ...

Presenting the 2022 State Budget to the House of Representatives on Thursday, Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides said the drawing of funds from European sources and programmes was a government priority. Cyprus ...

The proposed new government legislation on pandemic management gives the health minister far-reaching powers, opposition parties said on Thursday, while the ruling party insisted the bill’s provisions are in ...

President Nicos Anastasiades rejected anew suggestions Wednesday that he was involved in setting shell companies abroad for personal enrichment after leaked documents, dubbed the Pandora Papers, implicated the law firm ...

The justice ministry on Wednesday submitted a bill providing for the protection of whistleblowers, which is part of a legal framework designed to fight corruption. The bill is connected with ...