The House is preparing to vote on a proposal that would scale back the benefits long granted to former presidents of the Republic and former speakers of the House.

The draft law will go before the plenary after the House institutions committee agreed to promote the changes.

The current bills were first tabled by House president Annita Demetriou and Volt MP Alexandra Attalides.

They seek to abolish the lifetime benefits introduced under a 1988 law, which granted former presidents and former speakers a state limousine with full running costs, a police driver, bodyguards, and a secretary’s allowance.

The main measure limits the use of a state-provided vehicle to five years and abolishes all fuel and maintenance allowances. The committee decided, however, to keep the right to a secretary’s allowance.

Volt MP, Alexandra Attalides, disagreed with the proposal being forwarded to the plenary. 

The benefits of former presidents “is not just budgetary, it is primarily institutional. Democracy should not be equated with the unconditional and conditional granting of privileges,” she said. 

“The concept of public office ends with tenure, not death.”

She noted that “the law proposal we submitted as Volt to limit the privileges of former presidents of the Republic and former speakers of the House rationalises this practice, without ignoring or attempting to reduce either the institution or those who own it.”

She added that during the meeting of the House institutions committee it became clear that some people want to maintain the allowance for a secretary for life.

“I disagree with that. Although it was the decision of the committee, I will again table an amendment before the plenary, because I insist that five years is more than enough for a former speaker of the House and a former president of the Republic to write their memoirs and sort their file.”

She added that she intends to table a second amendment in the plenary, so that in the event that any former president assumes another office afterwards, these benefits will end. 

“I find it inconceivable that the state should continue to pay someone who decided to become president of another organisation,” she said.

The auditor general’s office highlighted these arrangements in a recent report, prompting renewed scrutiny.

Five former officials currently qualify under the old system: former presidents Nicos Anastasiades and George Vassiliou, and former speakers Yiannakis Omirou, Marios Karoyian and Demetris Syllouris.

The secretary’s allowance, once a flat €3,000 a month, has required receipts since March 2024. The five former officials receive a pension of around €5,000 per month.

Since leaving office, they have also received a one-off lump sum payment. Some members of the public and MPs have raised concerns about continuing to fund their state-provided perks without a time limit.

The proposals under debate would make several changes. Limousine access would be restricted to five years.

The secretary’s allowance would be paid directly to the employee and only with proper documentation.

Security would be reviewed at intervals, with each former official limited to two police officers acting as drivers.

Despite these moves, the bills had seen little progress since their introduction.

They are now scheduled for a vote in the plenary, where MPs will decide on the proposed limits to the benefits of former presidents and former speakers.

Akel MP Valentinos Fakontis told the Cyprus Mail his party is reviewing the privileges of former presidents but has not yet made a decision. He stressed that allowances should support the institutional role of former presidents, not personal gain, and that the dignity of the presidency must be preserved.

“Yes, some things must stop. Right now we do not have a complete view or decision,” he added.

Fakontis also highlighted the institutional difference between the president and the House president, designed to give the presidency a distinct role with recognised privileges. 

“A former president has an institutional role. Benefits for secretarial support or other allowances should be used solely for that role, ensuring prestige is preserved,” he said.

“Some things we consider should stop and we will be more specific when the discussion on the bill continues.”