An amount of €6.5 million has been included in Cyprus’ 2026 state budget to cover the salaries of the special advisors and collaborators of President Nikos Christodoulides, House President Annita Demetriou, ministers, deputy ministers, members of parliament, and political parties.
Presidency
Specifically, the 2026 budget for the Presidency includes a provision of €250,000 to cover the remuneration of the special advisors and collaborators of the President of the Republic, the Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki, and the Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis.
During the presidency of Nicos Anastasiades, this amount had reached as high as €425,000. President Christodoulides, instead of hiring a large number of advisors, opts for the method of seconding employees from the public and broader public sector. Currently, officers seconded to the Presidential Office come from, among others, DEFA, RIK, Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK), CYTA, and KOAP.
Ministers and deputy ministers
To cover the remuneration of the advisors and collaborators of ministers and deputy ministers, the 2026 state budget includes a total allocation of approximately €1 million. Each minister and deputy minister has a designated amount within their ministry’s budget, which must not be exceeded. This amount varies by ministry.
Based on this allocation, ministers and deputy ministers can hire as many advisors as they wish and allocate the budget accordingly. This results in significant discrepancies in the salaries of ministerial and deputy ministerial advisors. There are cases where advisors are paid nearly double compared to others, even though their responsibilities and obligations are the same under their contracts. However, their qualifications do differ.
The amount, timing and size of salary increases are determined by the respective ministers and deputy ministers, who are the employers and sign the employment contracts. It is therefore up to each official to manage their available budget as they see fit. Some may choose to hire one advisor, while others may hire two, three, or more.
For 2026, all ministers and deputy ministers have an available amount of €62,000 for hiring advisors. Exceptions include Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou, whose ministry’s budget includes €60,000, and Finance Minister Makis Keravnos, who has €65,000 available.
The budget also includes €37,000 for Deputy Minister to the President for European Affairs Marilena Raouna to hire advisors.
Government advisor salaries
According to existing legislation, the Presidency is required to publish on its official website the full list of advisors and collaborators hired under contract by the President, ministers, and deputy ministers. This list is updated periodically as new advisors are hired, others leave, or salaries are revised.
The list includes the advisor’s name, the official who hired them, their gross monthly salary, the duration of the contract, and their academic qualifications. According to this list, the President and ministers/deputy ministers currently employ advisors as follows:
-
President Nikos Christodoulides employs six advisors. Gross monthly salaries range from €1,600 to €2,670. The €1,600 salary is paid to a retired brigadier hired last month. His salary was set taking into account his public pension of over €3,000 per month. His contract is valid from 15/09/2025 to 29/02/2028.
-
Finance Minister Makis Keravnos employs one advisor with a gross monthly salary of €5,000.
-
Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou employs two advisors, each earning €2,583 per month.
-
Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou employs two advisors at €2,083 per month.
-
Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis employs two advisors at €2,583 per month.
-
Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos employs one advisor at €2,881 per month.
-
Education Minister Athena Michaelidou employs two advisors earning €2,500 and €2,666 per month.
-
Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou employs one advisor at €2,500 per month. A second advisor with the same salary resigned on 26/05/2025.
-
Energy Minister Giorgos Papanastasiou employs two advisors at €2,500 per month.
-
Health Minister Michalis Damianos employs two advisors at €2,583 per month. A third advisor’s contract expired on 31/12/2024.
-
Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas employs one advisor at €2,583 per month. A second advisor’s contract was terminated on 30/06/2024.
-
Transport Minister Alexis Vafeadis employs two advisors at €2,800 and €2,366 per month.
-
Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hadjimanoli employs two advisors at €2,100 and €2,350 per month.
-
Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Marilena Evangelou employs one advisor at €2,083 per month. A second advisor’s contract, with the same salary, ended on 07/05/2025.
-
Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou employs two advisors at €2,800 and €2,350 per month.
-
Deputy Minister of Research Nikodimos Damianos employed one advisor until 11/06/2025, earning €4,583 per month.
-
Deputy Minister of Tourism Costas Koumis employed one advisor until 28/02/2025, earning €2,583 per month.
-
Deputy Minister of Migration Nikolas A. Ioannidis employs one advisor with a salary of €5,166 per month.
-
Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki employs one advisor at €2,604 per month.
-
Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis employs one advisor at €2,604 per month.
Three advisors for Annita Demetriou
The President of the House of Representatives also receives a separate allocation for hiring advisors. Since 2020, following legislative changes, the House drafts its own budget and allocates funds received from the Ministry of Finance as it sees fit.
Although the 2026 budget has not yet been finalised, it is expected that the amount for House President Annita Demetriou’s advisors will remain at previous levels — approximately €250,000.
Currently, Ms. Demetriou employs three advisors, with an annual cost of €136,500. Their gross monthly salaries are €4,710, €4,500, and €2,165.
Advisors to MPs and parties
The 2026 House of Representatives budget includes a €5 million allocation to cover the remuneration of 101 parliamentary collaborators. Of these, 56 work directly for MPs, three for representatives of the religious groups (Armenians, Latins and Maronites), and the remainder for political parties.
Unlike the advisors hired by ministers and the Presidency, these collaborators are paid according to public service pay scales (A8 to A10).
Self-employed status
Advisors and collaborators of the President, the House President, ministers, and deputy ministers are considered self-employed. They are therefore required to pay income tax, VAT, and social insurance contributions, and must issue invoices.
Their contracts specify their salary, duties, and obligations to the Republic.