Christodoulides: How many deputy mayors do we need?
The existing form of local government reform is certainly not viable, President Nikos Christodoulides charged on Sunday, after he and his Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou came under fire for the impending contentious change.
Asked to comment over the mounting criticism, Christodoulides threw his weight behind Ioannou, telling reporters: “The interior minister is absolutely right over what he said.”
Ioannou opened a can of worms earlier this week when he said the local government reform the government is tasked to implement by July 1 is not viable and will be far more costly than it should be.
As such, the idea of financial savings that are set to come with the reform fall flat, he argued.
‘We tried to prevent this’
The minister said parliament’s amendments to the bill were not made on the basis of technocratic and financial ideas but “other criteria.”
Amid criticism from the political sphere, Christodoulides on Sunday said the government was tasked to implement what parliament had created.
“Do we really need that many deputy mayors? Do we? Parliament voted for this” an evidently irked Christodoulides told reporters.
“We tried to make changes before we got here but parliament did not have a positive reaction. As such, we are moving forward to implement this important reform. It has to happen.”
Elections and ulterior motives?
Christodoulides hit back over a suggestion that his government was described as “one of observers and commentators” rather than problem-solving.
He also said the government “will not hesitate to make any changes, on the basis of the challenges which will emerge”.
The president also said that “as we approach the elections, we should be particularly careful, the government in particular, so as not to get embroiled in discussions that aim to serve personal and party interests.”
14 deputy mayors
Ioannou said municipalities such as Polis Chrysochous are slated to have 14 deputy mayors, questioning whether this many were necessary – with Christodoulides supporting him.
The total wages of the deputy mayors amount to €2.3 million, which Ioannou described as an overcompensation.
Political parties such as Disy and Akel, along with parliament, have slammed the minister’s statements saying he was trying to shift the blame.