Nicosia, Cyprus. Elam leader Christos Christou said on Wednesday that the party will seek to chair the parliamentary committees on education and environment in the new House of Representatives, following its strong performance in Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
Committee claims
Speaking on CyBC, Christou said Elam intends to claim the leadership of three parliamentary committees, naming education and environment as priorities and leaving open the possibility of seeking the defence committee chair as well. He said the requests are based on the party’s electoral strength and the House regulations governing committee representation.
“Based on Elam’s percentages, and in accordance with the regulations of the House, we can assume such committee chair positions,” he said.
Smaller parties
Christou also referred to discussions about the allocation of committee chairs to smaller parties, including Alma and Direct Democracy, and said Elam would insist “that the law be implemented”.
Election result and speaker vote
The remarks came days after Elam doubled its parliamentary representation from four seats to eight, becoming one of the biggest winners of the election and strengthening its position in the new legislature.
On election night, Christou described the result as “a significant, huge victory” and said it placed “a greater responsibility” on the party “for the future of Cypriot Hellenism in the next five years”.
Christou reiterated Elam’s position that the party would not support either a candidate proposed by Annita Demetriou or a nominee backed by Akel in the upcoming election for House speaker.
Before the election, Christou had said a stronger Elam presence in parliament would allow the party to pursue “more social and national policies” and exercise greater influence over legislative decisions.