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Cypriot MPs on Thursday pushed back against President Nikos Christodoulides’ attempt to scrap a recently passed law that would have made countdown timers mandatory at traffic lights.
The House of Representatives had voted on March 13 to require the installation of digital timers at light-controlled intersections, aiming to help drivers better comply with red lights. But the law came with a catch: if the government failed to install the timers within six months, the current penalties for running red lights would be suspended.
That last bit didn’t sit well with the President. In his letter of referral, he called the law technically unworkable, budget-busting, and even potentially unconstitutional. He argued it would interfere with ongoing plans to upgrade intersections with smart traffic light systems, which adjust signal timings dynamically based on traffic flow—meaning timers wouldn’t even be possible in many cases.
But on Thursday, MPs voted to reject his referral, standing by their original decision and accusing the executive of overreach and stalling.
"Deeper, suspicious motives"
AKEL MP Nikos Kettiros said flatly that the President’s objections were part of a political game. “We spoiled the government's party,” he said, questioning whether the real motives behind the referral were more “deep and suspicious” than technical.
His party colleague, Andreas Pasiourtidis, dismissed the President’s arguments as weak, noting that if someone wants to find an objection, they’ll find one. He said the referral also challenges Parliament’s right to legislate freely.
Costas Costas, another AKEL MP, wondered aloud why the government always seems more focused on collecting fines than improving road safety. “Why is the concern always about the money?” he asked, pointing to the government's past statements about adjusting penalties instead.
A question of constitution—and common sense?
Others, however, acknowledged there were legal and technical red flags. Transport Committee Chair Marinos Mousiouttas noted that some MPs had already raised the same concerns outlined in the President’s referral, particularly around constitutionality.
DISY MP Nikos Tornaritis agreed that while the system may need fixing, the President’s concerns about violating the separation of powers were valid. His fellow DISY MP Onoufrios Koullas echoed that sentiment, saying that although improvements are needed, Parliament did act correctly from a legislative standpoint.
ELAM’s Sotiris Ioannou, however, delivered a stinging critique, suggesting that Parliament might not have fully understood what it was voting for in the first place.
And Environmental MP Stavros Papadouris voiced a broader frustration: “Why can’t we ever find balance?” He said Parliament’s push for traffic cameras and strict enforcement was a cry for the executive to finally “do something.”
What the President says
In his detailed referral, President Christodoulides listed several key reasons why the timer law, as written, couldn’t be enforced:
- It clashes with the upcoming photo-labeling system contract, which includes high-tech smart lights at 125 intersections in Nicosia and Limassol, with future expansion to 500 sites.
- The new lights won’t have a fixed duration for red or green signals, meaning countdown timers just won’t work.
- The law would drain public funds, requiring a significant budget not only for equipment but for staffing, studies, and ongoing implementation costs.
- It could cause driver confusion, or worse, lead to accidents, particularly if people rely too heavily on the countdown and misjudge when to stop or go.
- And ultimately, it steps into the domain of the executive, disrupting the separation of powers.
Despite these concerns, the parliamentary majority didn’t budge, and the timer law stands, for now.
The rejection of the referral means the clock is now ticking, literally, for the government to either install the countdown timers or face the legal limbo of suspended traffic light enforcement six months from now.
