Nicosia, Cyprus. Party leaders on Tuesday agreed the composition of the selection committee that will oversee the allocation of parliamentary committee chairmanships, ahead of its election by the House plenum on Thursday. The agreement was reached during the first formal meeting of party leaders chaired by reinstated House President Annita Demetriou.
Committee composition agreed
During the meeting, party leaders finalised the structure of the committee and the next procedural steps. A further leaders’ meeting is expected before the plenum, after which the newly elected committee will convene immediately to determine the composition and chairmanships of parliamentary committees.
According to the agreed framework, the committee will include three MPs from Disy: Savia Orphanides, Demetris Demetriou and Georgios Karoulas. Akel will also have three MPs on the committee: Stefanos Stefanou, Giorgos Loukaides and Aristos Damianou.
Diko will be represented by one MP, most likely Panikos Leonides. Elam will also hold one seat, with either Sotiris Ioannou or Linos Papayiannis expected to be appointed.
Role of the selection committee
The Selection Committee is tasked with determining the distribution of chairmanships across the House’s standing committees once it is formally constituted by the plenary. Its first sitting is expected immediately after Thursday’s vote, with responsibility for agreeing internal composition and leadership positions across the parliamentary committee system.
Committee restructuring discussed
During the meeting, party representatives also discussed a possible restructuring of parliamentary committees. One proposal under consideration would reduce the number of committees from 16 to 14, following a proposal from ELAM.
However, the proposal does not currently command sufficient support to proceed.
