POLITICS

Will the New Cabinet Members and Officials Waive Their Pensions?

For the first time, new legislation allows state and elected officials to voluntarily waive their pensions while serving in office, with several ministers, a commissioner, and a new MP now facing the decision.

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MICHALIS HADJISTYLIANOU

With the appointment of new state and elected officials over the past 24 hours, legislation passed earlier this year allowing serving officials to waive their pensions has been applied for the first time.

Under the law, the three new ministers - Marinos Mousiouttas (Labour), Konstantinos Fytiris (Justice) and Klea Chatzistefanou Papadellina (Social Welfare)—as well as the new Presidential Commissioner Marios Hartsiotis and new DISY MP Giorgos Penintaex, have 15 days from assuming office to submit a written declaration to Finance Minister Makis Keravnos renouncing their pensions. The legislation allows officials to voluntarily defer receiving pensions for the duration of their public service term.

The three ministers and the commissioner, who officially took office last Monday, therefore have until 23 December 2025 to decide, while Giorgos Penintaex, who was sworn in before the House plenary on Thursday, has until 26 December to make his choice.

Pensions Regardless of Age

A significant number of state and elected officials - more than 30 - currently receive pensions alongside their salaries due to the 1997 Pensions Law, specifically Article 24. This provision allows early retirement for public servants assuming office, granting them a pension immediately upon taking up a public position, regardless of age. It is under this law that President Nikos Christodoulides became eligible for a pension at age 45 when he left the diplomatic service to become Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Pensions of the New Officials

  • Marinos Mousiouttas, Minister of Labour: Has received a pension since 2016 from his previous post as Secretary of Nicosia Municipality and is expected to also receive a parliamentary pension exceeding €3,000 per month. The state treasury is awaiting legal advice on whether he can receive both while serving as minister.

  • Konstantinos Fytiris, Minister of Justice: Receiving a state pension since 2018 following retirement from the National Guard as Rear Admiral.

  • Klea Hajistephanou Papadellina, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare: Entitled to a pension as a former professor at the University of Cyprus.

  • Marios Hartsiotis, Presidential Commissioner: Eligible for a ministerial pension after completing over 30 months in a ministerial post. Notably, he is the only commissioner to have a personal security detail of two police officers, retained from his prior service in the Ministry of Justice.

  • Giorgos Penintaex, DISY MP: Receiving a pension from his previous post as Director of the Cyprus News Agency, a semi-public organisation.

What the Law Provides

The “Pension Waiver Law of 2025,” passed by the House on 10 July 2025, allows:

  1. Officials elected or appointed to public office to waive their pension for the period they receive a salary or allowance.

  2. The waiver declaration must be submitted within 15 days of assuming office. Pension payments resume immediately after the term ends.

  3. Officials may choose not to submit a waiver, in which case the Finance Minister informs the House President after 15 days.

  4. Officials may revoke the waiver at any time in writing to the Finance Minister and House President.

Those Who Voluntarily Gave Up Their Pension

Officials who previously waived their pensions simply sent a letter to the General Accounting Office, either donating the pension to the state or charitable organisations. Among them were Kikis Kazamias, Zeta Emilianidou, Ioannis Kasoulides, Yiannakis Omirou, Nikos Nikolaidis, Onoufrios Koullas, and Averof Neofytou.

Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou has similarly requested that her university pension not be paid while she serves in government. Last August, President Christodoulides announced that he would donate his €1,013 monthly civil service pension for 12 months to six elderly care centres.

Officials Receiving Both Salary and Pension

The pension waiver law does not have retroactive effect and does not apply to officials appointed before July 2025. Current officials receiving both a salary and pension include:

  • Ministers: Finance – Makis Keravnos, Education – Athina Michaelidou, Deputy to the President – Irini Piki.

  • MPs: Yiannakis Gavriel (AKEL), Andreas Themistocleous (Independent), Charalambos Theopemptou (Ecologists), Giorgos Karoullas (DISY), Rita Superman (DISY), Alekos Tryfonidis (DISY).

  • Commissioners: Ombudswoman – Maria Stylianou Lottidi, Transparency – Charis Poyatzis.

  • Anti-Corruption Authority Members: Makis Konstantinidis, Nikos Zambakidis.

  • Internal Audit Commissioner: Anna Zavou-Christoforou.

  • EDY Members: Georgios Papageorgiou, Vasiliki Anastasiadou, Antonis Vassiliades.

  • EEY Members: Kostas Hampiaouris, Panagiotis A. Kyprianou, Giorgos S. Georgiou, Dimitris Mikellidis.

This article was originally published in the Politis daily newspaper.

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