The plenary of the House of Representatives unanimously approved an amendment to the election law, extending the deadline for filling a vacant parliamentary or European Parliament seat from 45 to 120 days — a move triggered entirely by the case of Feidias Panagiotou.
The Electoral Service had warned lawmakers that it would be unable to hold elections within 45 days should Feidias win a parliamentary seat in May and vacate his European Parliament position. It also noted that holding elections during summer would be problematic, as the schools used as polling stations lack air conditioning.
The cost of such a vote is estimated at €6 million — a disproportionately high sum for filling a single seat. Under the new provision, the Interior Minister may extend the deadline up to 120 days where practical reasons exist.
Feidias Panagiotou faces a dilemma: if elected to parliament, he must choose between his national and European seats. If he stays as MEP, the parliamentary seat passes to the first runner-up. If he opts for parliament, by-elections for the European Parliament seat will be required — most likely in October.
Notably, the Interior Ministry had initially proposed an alternative solution through a second distribution mechanism, but both bills were rejected by the Internal Affairs Committee as “tailor-made,” since the seat would have automatically gone to EDEK.
