Resubmission of the Law on Citizens’ Initiative – Strengthening participatory democracy in Cyprus

In 2025, the Law on Citizens’ Initiative (Ο περί της Πρωτοβουλίας Πολιτών Νόμος του 2025) was officially resubmitted to the House of Representatives, marking an important step forward for participatory democracy in Cyprus. The initiative was led by the Founder of PolicyLab and Advisor to the Commissioner for the Citizen, George Isaia, who coordinated the process of updating and refining the law in close cooperation with the Commissioner’s Office and key institutional stakeholders.

Originally submitted to Parliament in 2017, the bill was withdrawn in 2023. In 2025, following an extensive process of stakeholder engagement and technical review, the amended text was finalized and reintroduced. The process was characterized by close collaboration between public institutions, civil society organizations, and experts in participatory governance, ensuring that the law would respond to contemporary democratic needs.

The purpose of the law is to establish a clear legal framework regulating the procedure through which citizens of the Republic of Cyprus can submit an initiative. Once such an initiative is approved by the competent authority and gathers the required number of declarations of support, it obliges the government, among other things, to provide a reasoned response regarding its actions or to conduct a public discussion aimed at examining the citizens’ proposal and preparing an appropriate action plan.

The 2025 amendment introduces modern participatory mechanisms, including digital tools for signature collection, clearer procedural safeguards, and defined timelines for governmental response. These updates bring the Cypriot framework closer to European standards for citizen participation and strengthen transparency, accountability, and civic engagement.

The resubmission of the Law on Citizens’ Initiative of 2025 represents a milestone in Cyprus’s democratic evolution, reaffirming the commitment of institutions and civil society to enhancing citizens’ direct role in policymaking and to consolidating participatory democracy as a core principle of governance.

👉 See the full legislative proposal here.