Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus’ cabinet is expected next week to discuss planned changes to police protection for high-ranking politicians, with amendments linked to shifts in parliament following the May election. Justice Minister Costas Fitiris is also reportedly considering modernising the service.
Current protection arrangements
House president Annita Demetriou is currently assigned a police entourage of 10 officers. After first being elected to the role in 2021, she was initially assigned eight officers but requested that the number be reduced to five. She also declined a second police vehicle and asked that the vehicle assigned to her not use blue lights.
After Demetriou received an email claiming that an assassination attempt was being planned against her, five additional officers were assigned to protect her and now guard her house.
Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou and Diko leader Nicholas Papadopoulos are each protected by four police officers, while Edek leader Nikos Anastasiou is protected by three.
Elam leader Christos Christou, Dipa leader and former House president Marios Garoyian, former House presidents Demetris Syllouris and Yiannakis Omirou, and Archbishop Georgios are each protected by two police officers.
Former president Nicos Anastasiades is protected by a detail of 12 police officers, while his house in Limassol is guarded by police officers around the clock.
Former first ladies Elsa Christofia and Androulla Vassiliou are each assigned one police officer, while former first lady Fotini Papadopoulou renounced her police protection in 2011.
Expected changes after the election
The government is expected next week to assign police protection to Alma leader Odysseas Michaelides and Direct Democracy Cyprus leader Fidias Panayiotou. In Panayiotou’s case, special provisions may be required because he retains his seat as a member of the European Parliament and spends most of his time in Brussels.
Following Elam’s increase in parliamentary representation from four seats to eight, Christou’s protection detail is expected to be doubled from two officers to four.
Anastasiou is expected to lose his police protection because Edek no longer has any MPs in parliament.
Dipa also lost all its seats in parliament, but Garoyian is expected to retain his police protection in his capacity as a former House president.
