MPs get tougher on municipal candidates

LESS than a month before December’s local elections, parliament on Friday voted to amend candidates’ eligibility criteria, allowing anyone who runs a business in a municipality or village to run for office in that community, provided he or she has been registered as a voter there for at least five years.

The proposal, tabled by Edek, was voted by 32 deputies, opposed by four – the Citizens’ Alliance three parliamentarians, plus Disy’s Marios Mavrides – and with 16 abstentions, all being Akel deputies.

Interior Affairs committee chairwoman Eleni Mavrou said that election laws should not be amended so close to election day.

She suggested that voting on Edek’s proposal be postponed until after the election.

Edek leader Marinos Sizopoulos argued that the proposal does not amend the electoral system or the electoral list, which is why it can be voted into law.

Diko deputy Charalambos Pittokopitis said that, while his party agrees in principle with the view that “legislation affecting elections should not be amended so close to the election”, it does not believe this amendment affects the upcoming election.

Akel leader Andros Kyprianou agreed that the election process is not affected by the amendment, but noted that candidacies have already been submitted.

He, too, argued that the proposal should be postponed until after election day.

The Citizens’ Alliance leader Yiorgos Lillikas said that the proposed law could photograph particular individuals.

Akel’s motion to postpone the vote on the bill was rejected by 32 votes, with 20 in favour – Akel, the Citizens’ Alliance, and Mavrides.

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