Parliament rejects presidential referral on indefinite-term teachers

On Thursday, the Cyprus House of Representatives rejected President Nikos Christodoulides' referral of a law concerning indefinite-term teachers. The vote passed with 29 votes against the referral and 12 in favor. The legislation, which the parliament seeks to enact, prohibits the termination of services for these educators on the grounds of redundancy. President Christodoulides had returned the bill, citing constitutional concerns, including a breach of the separation of powers and potential interference with executive responsibilities as an employer. He also argued that the provision could adversely impact public finances, violating constitutional rules against increasing state expenditures. MPs supporting the law, including representatives from AKEL and DIKO, argued that the measure is necessary to rectify an injustice, as other indefinite-term public sector employees are protected from such terminations. The President now faces the decision to either sign the bill into law or appeal to the Supreme Constitutional Court.