In July 2024 there was a major reform of local government in Cyprus, consisting of three strands. A new elected level for the districts of Cyprus, the creation of 18 new municipalities brought about by mergers (plus two retained from before) and, thirdly, 30 new combined authorities to provide joint services for the communities (i.e., village authorities or civil parishes).
Pre-existing system
For a 100 years or more the system in Cyprus had been district administrations under the authority of a government appointed District Officer in each district, alongside a multiplicity of mostly small town and village authorities.
The table below shows the number of municipalities and communities in each district at various censuses,Population in 2019, publ. by Cyprus Statistical Service, 2019 website: library.cystat.gov.cy/Documents/Publication/POP-POPULATION-A74_19-EN-301120.xls Section A8a Population of Towns and Villages by Size, 1960 and 1973 Censuses, and Section A8b Population of Municipalities and Communitites By Size, 2001 and 2011 CensusesCensus of Cyprus, printed by Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, 1884. Authority names sequence numbered, but deduct monasteries and chiftliksCensus of Cyprus, published by Government Printing Office, Nicosia, 1949. Table 3 on p. 17"Census of population 1992". Population Census 1992. Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus. 1 October 1992. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018Census of Cyprus 2021, Table: Population Enumerated by District, Municipality, Community, Quarter, Sex and Age. Statistics website of Cyprus government: cystatdb.cystat.gov.cy. See: cystatdb.cystat.gov.cy/pxweb/en/8.CYSTAT-DB/8.CYSTAT-DB__Population__Census%20of%20Population%20and%20Housing%202021__Population__Population%20-%20Place%20of%20Residence/1891114E.px/ Retrieved May 2025 plus the totals from the list of municipal and community codes issued by the Cyprus Statistical Service. The latter includes abandoned or occupied villages, which nevertheless retain their village boundaries."Statistical Codes of Municipalities, Communities and Quarters of Cyprus", publ Statistical Service, Nicosia, 2010 library.cystat.gov.cy/Documents/Publication/GEO_CODES-2010.pdf - retrieved Aug 2025
+ Number of Municipalities and Communities DISTRICT 1881 1946 1960 1973 1992 2001 2011 2021 Codes Nicosia 187 178 173 166 105 105 111 113 174 Kyrenia 47 48 48 47 ... ... ... ... 47 Famagusta 116 98 98 98 9 9 9 9 98 Larnaca 45 60 60 61 52 54 55 56 59 Limassol 109 114 115 106 112 110 110 112 112 Paphos 140 135 132 126 108 110 116 120 125 TOTAL 644 633 626 604 386 388 401 410 615
The local government system consisted of unitary (single tier) urban municipal councils and rural community councils. There were 30 municipalities in the major towns, plus a further 9 municipalities in the occupied area. Municipalities are led by mayors. In 2011, there were 350 functioning community councils, and a further 25 communities with a population of zero or less than 104, with a further 137 for communities whose territory was located in the occupied area of Cyprus."Local Government Reform in Cyprus: Final Options Report", report commissioned by the Cyprus government on the reform of the local government, by the National School of Government International (UK). Website of the Administrative Reform Unit of the Cyprus Presidency: www.crcs.gov.cy/crcs/crcs.nsf/All/6C581A809794C3BEC2257E34003556E7?OpenDocument - published April 2014. Page 18 of the report. The size of Cypriot local authorities was the fifth smallest in Europe, with only Turkey, France, Slovakia and the Czech Republic having smaller authorities in terms of population."Decentralisation at a crossroads - Territorial reforms in Europe in times of crisis" publ by CEMR (Council of European Municipalities and Regions). Document available from NALAS website: www.nalas.eu/new-cemr-publication-decentralisation-at-a-crossroads-territorial-reforms-in-europe-in-times-of-crisis/ - retrieved July 2025; p. 13
In Cyprus, the municipality average population was 19,950 (in 2011), the community average was 645 and the overall average was 2,075.6.
Because of their difference in size, communities had less power and resources than municipalities. Communities were generally responsible for waste disposal, water supply and public health. Municipalities were, in addition, responsible for social services, the issuing of building permits, and planning permission (in the case of large municipalities). However, many of these community services were provided by the district administration, where communities were unable to provide them themselves.
New system
Local government reform was enacted by the Cypriot Parliament passing three bills in March 2022 and came into force on 1 July 2024, immediately after the local government elections on 09 June."Municipal reform goes through with some hesitation", Financial Mirror 05 March 2022 www.financialmirror.com/2022/03/05/municipal-reform-goes-through-with-some-hesitation/ - retrieved Aug 2025"President pledges support on eve of local government reform", Cyprus Mail 30 June 2024 cyprus-mail.com/2024/06/30/president-pledges-support-on-eve-of-local-government-reform - retrieved Aug 2025"Local Government Elections" elections.gov.cy/moi/elections/elections.nsf/electionstaea_en/electionstaea_en?OpenDocument - retrieved Aug 2025
The local government reform is extended, with some limitations, to the British Sovereign Base Areas.SBA official site www.sbaadministration.org/index.php/local-government-reform - retrieved Aug. 2025
Districts
District councils called District Local Government Organisations were created in each district by the "Law on District Organisations of Local Government" of 2022. These councils took over the water boards and the water supply powers of municipalities and communities. They also took over the sewerage boards and the boards responsible for municipal waste disposal and recovery sites. The power to issue planning and building permits was transferred to these district councils. This includes all permits and regulations concerning the construction of streets and new buildings and their alteration or demolition.
Each district council consists of a president and 16 members including the vice-president. The president is directly elected to a 5-year term, firstly on 9 June 2024. 10 members of the councils are elected by a vote of the assembly of municipalities of the district and 6 are elected by a vote of the assembly of communities in the district, both assemblies convened for that purpose. The vice-president is elected by the members of the council after their election."District Local Governmental Organisations Act of 2022 - 37(I) 2022" in Greek (Ο περί Επαρχιακών Οργανισμών Αυτοδιοίκησης Νόμος του 2022 (37(I)/2022)) - www.cylaw.org/nomoi/enop/non-ind/2022_1_37/full.html - retrieved July 2025Nicosia District Local Government Organisation - ndlgo.org.cy/en/ - retrieved Aug 2025. See Organisation and Services sections.Famagusta District Local Government Organisation (in Greek) - eoaa.org.cy/eoa-ammochostou/ - retrieved Aug 2025
Municipalities
The Municipalities Act of 2022 creates 18 new municipalities by amalgamating 28 municipalities and 63 communities, which become municipal districts of the new municipalities. The municipalities of Strovolos and Paphos remain unchanged. As a suburb of Nicosia, both mayors and some experts proposed that Strovolos be merged into Nicosia either as a single municipality or a federated metropolitan authority, but this was not adopted.
These 20 new or retained municipalities gain powers over the establishment of a municipal police, road maintenance, and the responsibilities of school boards (by 2029). The power to issue planning and building permits is transferred away from municipalities to the new District Local Government Organisations.
The municipal elections took place on 9 June 2024."Presidency welcomes municipal reforms as imperative necessity (update 2)", Cyprus Mail, 04 March 2022 - cyprus-mail.com/2022/03/04/presidency-welcomes-municipal-reforms-as-imperative-necessity - retrieved Aug 2025
The table below lists the new municipalities and the previous authorities from which they are composed, which now become municipal districts with deputy mayors."20 New Municipalities" (in Greek) on Ministry of the Interior website - www.gov.cy/moi/20-neoi-dimoi/ - retrieved Aug 2025"These are the 20 new Municipalities - The reform was voted on", Phileleftheros newspaper, Nicosia, 03 March 2022 - https://web.archive.org/web/20220303172313/https://www.philenews.com/oikonomia/kypros/article/1414066/aftoi-einai-oi-20-neoi-dimoi-psifistike-i-metarrythmisi - retrieved July 2025