Parliament to review leadership replacement rules

Cyprus' Parliament Speaker Annita Demetriou has called for urgent talks to establish clear rules for permanently replacing the President and Speaker of Parliament when needed. The issue will be discussed at a meeting of political leaders on September 26, following recent tensions over the appointment of the new Auditor General.

Currently, when both the President and Speaker are absent, the oldest MP steps in. This sparked controversy when DIKO MP Zacharias Koulias, the oldest MP, suggested he would appoint the next Auditor General while Demetriou was on an official trip to Malta. His statement raised concerns about the lack of clear guidelines, prompting Demetriou to cancel her trip to avoid a potential crisis.

Demetriou stressed the need to address the matter now to ensure "stability and order" within the government. While Article 72.3 of the Constitution allows for temporary replacements, there is no permanent process in place.

One proposed solution is creating a vice-president position to handle leadership vacancies in the future. This issue has come up several times but has never been fully resolved.