Two hours were enough to convince all but one member of the House Finance Committee that they should give the green light to the purchase of the new presidential limousine. DISY, AKEL, ELAM, DIKO, and Direct Democracy were ultimately convinced of the need to ensure the President of the Republic’s safety, while at the same time receiving assurances that it would not be ready before the end of 2027. ALMA disagreed, arguing that this would entail additional expenses at an inopportune time. Although AKEL agreed, it continues to criticize the President’s Office over Nikos Christodoulides’ handling of the matter.

AKEL

“The President of the Republic’s stance remains offensive to society. He misleadingly claimed that he was unaware of the budget allocation, even though all reports and responses from the relevant agencies showed that the decision was his own and that he was fully aware of it.”
 
The next step is for the government to issue a call for bids to purchase the vehicle, which technocrats and Parliament estimate will ultimately cost less than €600,000. The contract will be awarded to one of the three companies in Cyprus from which armored vehicles have been purchased in the past. 

“This is an estimate of the amount and includes both VAT and seven years of maintenance. It is obviously a lower amount than what was budgeted.”
Christiana Erotokritou – Deputy Chair of DIKO

The armored limousine will not be electric or hybrid, since only conventional vehicles meet the specifications. The €595,000 budget includes the purchase of the vehicle, necessary accessories, and spare parts.  

In the 66 years since the founding of the Republic of Cyprus, the seven presidents have used 10 presidential limousines. The most iconic were Archbishop Makarios’ Cadillacs and his armored Mercedes—four cars in total.
Two of them are parked at the Archbishopric. Another Cadillac had been ordered but did not arrive before Makarios’s death.

A Mercedes was purchased during the presidency of Spyros Kyprianou, which was also used by Giorgos Vasiliou.

During Clerides’ presidency, a BMW was purchased, and an Audi was also provided to the presidency, which was returned to the dealership in 2003.

Papadopoulos and Christofias also used a new BMW until 2010, when the purchase of a new Mercedes was approved.

The current presidential car was purchased in 2019 during the term of Nicos Anastasiades and cost nearly €300.00

Watch Evangelos Agapios’s report: