House passes bill allowing civil servants to hold political party posts

By majority vote, the House on Thursday passed a set of bills allowing employees in the civil service and the broader public sector to hold posts in political parties.

Public-sector employees under the A7 pay grade and with no administrative functions are now eligible for party posts without any restriction, while those above that pay grade will need approval from the authority governing their employer.

Subject to approval, all employees will be eligible for election to party leadership.

The bills passed with the combined votes of DISY, DIKO and EDEK MPs.

The seven bills were drafted by the DISY and DIKO parties.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.