Conflict of interest issue for Paphos municipal councillor holding teaching post

A conflict of interest has arisen in the Paphos Municipality involving Municipal Councillor Costas Diplaros of the AKEL party, who concurrently serves as a contract teacher. According to Menelaos Vassiliou, head of the Ministry of Interior’s Elections Branch, the Municipal Law of 2022 prohibits holding both a municipal office and a position in the public education sector, regardless of whether the employment is permanent or temporary. The Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education have already sent letters to the councillor, requiring him to choose between his two roles. Diplaros, currently in his second term as a councillor and employed as a teacher since September, argues that recent legal amendments mean there is no conflict. He has requested a formal legal opinion from the Ministry of Education, stating he will resign from the council if the incompatibility is legally substantiated. The Paphos District Officer, Efrosini Georgiou, is expected to formally notify him and provide a timeframe for his decision. This development adds to existing instability in the municipality following the suspension of Mayor Phedon Phedonos.