Cyprus Mail 16 September 2021
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| Photo CNA |
The House plenum on Thursday voted for the postponement of local authority elections as part of the sector’s reform.
The elections were to take place in December.
Postponement of the elections means that existing municipal and community councils will continue serving their terms until the implementation of the local government reform. The schedule set before the European Commission for the implementation of the local self-government reform is May 2024.
Earlier, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris told the House interior committee that the cabinet has approved three bills, which would extend the current terms of elected local officials if approved by parties on Thursday afternoon.
During the meeting, the three biggest parties, Disy, Akel, and Diko, said they favoured the postponement and adoption of a tight deadline to approve the reform bills, possibly by December.
Under the reforms, municipalities would be granted the administration of state facilities such as nurseries, nursing homes, etc, as well as powers relating to public transport that can act as supplementary to the current system.
The reform provides for sweeping changes in local authority operation, including cutting the number of municipalities from 30 to 17 and fusing hundreds of communities.
The stated aim of the reform drive is to achieve economies of scale and lower the cost of services.
But several key issues have emerged throughout the process, such as some municipalities not wishing to merge and instead proposing their own plans.
Parties ostensibly support the reform, billing it as necessary, but they disagree on how to roll it out, threatening to scupper the entire project.
