Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Ladies and gentlemen,
The agenda of today's special session of the Plenary of the House includes a single item, the installation of the President of the Republic of Cyprus in office as defined by Rule 42.1 of the Constitution. On behalf of all the Members of Parliament and the representatives of the Religious Groups, I warmly congratulate Mr Christodoulides on his election. We wish the new President strength and endurance to meet the great responsibility he is assuming towards his country and its citizens.
The stormy developments in the international environment create both dangers and opportunities for our country in relation to the prospects of our struggle for the lifting of the Turkish occupation through the finding of an agreed solution to the Cyprus problem. At the same time, as a consequence of the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine, we are already experiencing a period of increased economic uncertainty in which fiscal stability, sustainable growth, digital transformation and social solidarity are top priorities. The House of Representatives, within the framework of its powers and responsibilities, remains willing and ready for positive cooperation with the executive authorities in order to achieve goals that are beneficial to citizens. In particular, on critical issues relating to the promotion of our country's national aspirations, our parliamentary diplomacy will be in constant and fruitful cooperation with the relevant mechanisms of the government. Always bearing in mind that the separation of powers between the executive and the legislature is a fundamental concept and an essential component of any democratic, liberal, European, modern state governed by the rule of law.
At the same time, however, the House of Representatives declares itself ready to fulfil its other equally important role, that of parliamentary control of the acts and omissions of the executive. For it is the government that is responsible for the effective exercise of executive power and the implementation of laws, but Parliament is the constitutional body to which the Executive is accountable.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Deepening democratic functioning, strengthening accountability and enhancing citizens' trust in the institutions is the collective responsibility of all of us. State officials, political parties and every public person in general. It is in this direction that we must all work, without prejudices and rigidities, to restore the credibility of the institutions we serve and to lay the foundations of a truly participatory democracy.
(Text as sent from the House of Representatives)
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