Cyprus Mail
Cyprus

Enough consultation held over reform minister says as Aglandjia heads to supreme court (updated)

aglanjia demo 02
Aglandjia residents protesting outside parliament on Thursday afternoon

Satisfactory consultations were held for the reform of local government, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said on Saturday.

He was speaking to CyBC radio after the municipality of Aglandjia filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the adoption of the new law heralding municipal reforms.

It said the new law would transform the municipality of Aglandjia into a mere sub-department of the municipality of Nicosia.

Nouris said the court case was not a welcome development as the reform of the local government was one of the preconditions for the disbursement of EU funds.

“Listening to the concerns of Aglandjia residents, as reflected in a recent survey conducted by the company Pulse on behalf of the municipality, we had no choice but to claim an annulment of the legislation by the supreme court,” the Aglandjia municipality said.

It said that its appeal to the supreme court was based on the fact that there is a conflict of between the legislative and executive powers and that the contested legislation violates important articles of the European charter of local self-government and especially Article 5, which provides for consultation with local communities and/or referenda.

Nouris said an opinion was obtained from the legal service and the European Commission on the issue of referenda.

Aglandjia municipality said that it agrees with the philosophy of the reform of local government, however, “it is forced to appeal against the law with a serious chance of being declared unconstitutional, since it has no other legal option at its disposal to protect and express the will of its residents”.

 

Follow the Cyprus Mail on Google News

Related Posts

Traffic fines: same penalties, longer payment period

Elias Hazou

Festival explores experimental music scene

Eleni Philippou

Mixed-marriage Turkish Cypriot loses appeal for citizenship

Tom Cleaver

Two years in jail for killer driver

Jonathan Shkurko

‘Feverish pace’ over monk scandal investigations

Andria Kades

Man threatens to incinerate own mother

Tom Cleaver