The new parliamentary term begins on Thursday, 4 June, when the new House President will be elected. During the second week of June, the plenary will reconvene to form the Selection Committee, which will determine the composition of parliamentary committees.
In the three weeks remaining before parliament closes for the summer recess, there is little time for substantive debate. Committee members will first need to review pending matters from the previous House and set their priorities.
In response to a question from Politis on which issues they place at the top of their priority list and intend to open the new parliamentary term with, the leaders of AKEL and DISY, as well as DIKO, outline their positions.
AKEL: electricity and property
According to AKEL general secretary Stefanos Stefanou, two AKEL bills remain pending before the House Interior Committee. These concern regulation, oversight and transparency in the sale of property to third‑country nationals.
Mr Stefanou said the aim is to close loopholes in the existing legislative framework that allow for the mass sale of property to non‑EU citizens, through clear criteria and restrictions, including outright prohibitions in specific areas such as the buffer zone. He stressed that the issue is directly linked to rental prices and the availability of land for future generations.
“We cannot sell everything,” he said.
The second issue AKEL intends to bring back concerns proposals for taxing excess profits made by banks and renewable energy companies. These matters have already been discussed in the relevant parliamentary committees and the aim is for them to be placed before the plenary in the near future.
AKEL will also reintroduce a proposal first submitted during the Anastasiades administration to permanently reduce VAT on electricity from 19 per cent to 5 per cent and to abolish double taxation on fuel. At the time, the proposals were deemed unconstitutional due to procedural issues, Mr Stefanou explained.
“We will continue political pressure, both inside and outside parliament, for the government to adopt them,” he said.
As part of its social agenda and efforts to reduce the cost of living, AKEL will also press for an expansion of the list of vulnerable beneficiaries eligible for low electricity tariffs, as well as for the automatic inclusion of all eligible households. Currently, about half of those entitled do not benefit from the scheme.
DISY: the 31 priorities
DISY leader Annita Demetriou said the party will move forward in the new parliamentary term on the basis of the 31 thematic priorities it presented in April, with an emphasis on shaping comprehensive and implementable policies that respond to citizens’ needs and contemporary challenges.
“Based on our 31 priorities, we are preparing legislative proposals and supporting bills that move in the right direction, in order to support society and vulnerable groups,” Ms Demetriou said.
Among these priorities is tackling traffic congestion. DISY has already submitted a bill in this direction, she noted.
On social issues, the list includes reducing electricity costs, renewing the private vehicle fleet, promoting electromobility, affordable housing, a fairer refugee policy, pension reform with an emphasis on adequacy and support for older people, strengthening the National Health System (GeSY), and all‑day schooling.
According to Ms Demetriou, these thematic priorities are not static. They will be reviewed, updated and enriched based on society’s evolving needs. DISY will proceed into the new parliamentary term guided by this framework.
DIKO: revenues from natural gas
For his part, DIKO president Nicolas Papadopoulos expects the pension reform being promoted by the government to be among the major issues facing parliament, most likely from September onwards.
He also highlighted as a priority a pending matter from the previous House concerning a constitutional amendment to expand the list of criminal offences related to the interception of telephone communications and the role of the intelligence services.
“I want to believe that we will look at this more calmly. It is an extremely serious issue. Cases are being lost in court simply because law‑enforcement authorities are unable to present the evidence they possess,” Mr Papadopoulos explained.
Beyond that, DIKO is preparing to press firmly on the issue of investing Cyprus’s future revenues from natural gas. Mr Papadopoulos believes that if consortiums ultimately take a final investment decision, gas exports could begin in 2028 or, at the latest, 2029.
“It will take one to two years for them to recover their costs, after which the Republic of Cyprus will begin receiving revenues. So, in the best‑case scenario, the first revenues will reach the state in 2030–2031. What we want is for there to be a linkage – that is, for the profits to be invested – with the Social Insurance Fund, so that pensions are strengthened,” he said.
