Nicosia, Cyprus. Police will postpone decisions on security arrangements for political leaders and state officials until after the election of the new House president next Thursday. The security committee will then assess existing protection details.
Security review pending
The committee is responsible for evaluating security provisions for public figures. Among the issues under consideration is whether outgoing House president Annita Demetriou will retain her current level of protection if she is not re-elected.
The committee will also consider whether police protection should be provided to the leaders of the newly established parliamentary parties Alma and Direct Democracy, Odysseas Michaelides and Fidias Panayiotou. Panayiotou’s case presents particular considerations as he will spend much of his time in Brussels in his capacity as MEP.
Another matter expected to be examined is whether the security detail assigned to Elam leader Christos Christou should be strengthened.
Criteria for protection
The review comes amid continuing debate over the criteria used to determine protection levels for political figures. The issue was highlighted in a report published by the audit office in November 2023.
The report concluded that protection arrangements appeared closely linked to the electoral strength of political parties. It said the number of officers assigned to party leaders seemed proportional to parliamentary representation, raising concerns that state protection risked being treated as an entitlement rather than a response to specific security threats.
Under current arrangements, the leaders of the two largest parties, Disy and Akel, receive the largest protection details among party leaders.
