Four newly elected MPs — including the AKEL Secretary General and the leader of the ALMA movement — have until June 9 to declare whether they will waive the government pensions they receive on top of their parliamentary salaries.
The four are DISY MP Savia Orphanidou, AKEL Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou, AKEL MP Giannakis Gavriil, and ALMA leader Odysseas Michaelides. Each draws a pension either from prior public employment or political service.
Orphanidou receives a pension from her time at the Finance Ministry. During her previous term in parliament she forwarded it to the Consolidated Fund of the Republic, and under the new law must again declare whether she will waive it or continue doing so.
Stefanou draws a pension from his tenure as Government Spokesman under Demetris Christofias.
Gavriil was a teacher before his election.
Michaelides receives pension benefits from his public service career and his tenure at the Audit Service.
Beyond these four, other newly elected MPs who worked in the broader public or semi-public sector may also fall under the law — something that will become clear in the coming days, before the new parliament is sworn in.
Under legislation passed last August, an official elected or appointed to public office may waive their pension for the period during which they receive a salary or allowance, by submitting a Pension Waiver Declaration to the Finance Minister.
The declaration must be submitted within 15 days of election or appointment. If an official fails to do so, the Finance Minister is required to write to the House Speaker informing them of that decision.
The law also included a name-and-shame provision for those who chose not to waive their pensions. However, when the same rules were applied during last December’s cabinet reshuffle, the names of ministers who did not waive their pensions were not made public.