According to information, a number of issues have already arisen which the state’s General Accounting Office is now required to handle.
The regulation of multiple pensions was considered necessary after years of what was widely seen as a provocative situation in which officials simultaneously received high salaries, allowances and multiple state pensions. Individuals who had served as civil servants, ministers, MPs, mayors or in other public roles often ended up collecting more than one pension while still holding office. Today, more than 30 officials receive at least one state pension on top of their salary.
However, the matter is not as straightforward as it may appear in public debate. In the Republic of Cyprus, a pension has been recognised through case law as an acquired right and a form of property. As such, it cannot be arbitrarily removed, reduced or suspended by the state.
Pensions are protected under Article 23 of the Constitution, which safeguards the right to property. In practical terms, neither the President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides, nor ministers, commissioners or newly elected MPs can be compelled to forgo pensions they already receive.
Renunciation
Any renunciation of a pension can take place only on a voluntary basis, under the procedure established by the Law on the Option to Renounce a Pension, approved by parliament on 10 July 2025 following a bill proposed by DISY and DIKO, and in force since 30 July 2025.
The key provisions of the law are as follows:
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An official who is elected or appointed to a public office or position in Cyprus or the European Union may renounce their pension for the period in which they receive a salary or allowance, by submitting a declaration to the Minister of Finance.
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The declaration must be submitted immediately after election or appointment, or within 15 days at the latest. Payment of the pension resumes once the official’s term ends.
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An official may choose not to submit such a declaration, in which case the Minister of Finance informs the Speaker of the House in writing after the 15‑day period.
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An official may withdraw the declaration at any time by notifying the Minister of Finance.
Donate them instead
Beyond the legal framework, however, there is also an ethical dimension.
Following public statements by MPs Odysseas Michaelides and Savia Orphanidou that they intend to renounce their state pensions, an alternative approach has been proposed.
Artemis Artemiou, founder of the Alkinos Artemiou foundation, suggested that instead of simply renouncing pensions and returning them to the state, officials could donate them to charities and organisations supporting vulnerable groups.
This approach already exists in practice. Former DISY president Averof Neophytou and AKEL secretary general Stefanos Stefanou have chosen not to renounce their pensions, but to channel them into specific charitable institutions.
In this way, what has been criticised as the problematic phenomenon of multiple pensions could be transformed into an act of social responsibility. Such funds could support children with serious illnesses, struggling families, people with disabilities, the elderly, schools, therapeutic programmes and social structures that often face severe resource shortages.
As Artemis Artemiou put it in a public post, “society does not need symbolism alone – it needs actions that deliver results.” In a period when the welfare state often falls short, such initiatives take on particular significance.
