The Conference, titled ‘The Institution of the House of Representatives (1960-2020)’, was held exclusively online. It comprised twelve (12) sessions with fifty-five (55) renowned speakers, including academics, researchers, and MPs. The Conference covered all possible (historical, social, political, institutional, legal) aspects of the leading democratic institution in Cyprus, the House of Representatives.
The opening ceremony was honoured by the presence of the President of the House of Representatives, Dr Adamos Adamou, who gave the initial address. The written address of the President of the Parliament of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Konstantinos Tasoulas, was read during the ceremony, while video messages from the Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and the former President of the Hellenic Republic, Prof. h.c. NKUA, Mr Prokopios Pavlopoulos, were also screened. Moreover, the ceremony was greeted by Ms Rina Katselli, the first Greek Cypriot woman MP. The Rector of the University of Nicosia, Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, with his address marked the commencement of the Conference’s proceedings.
During the first day of the Conference, six (6) sessions were held with the participation of academics and MPs discussing topical questions, such as The Present and Future of the Parliament, The Principle of Separation of Powers, Parliamentary History, The Relationship between the House of Representatives and the International Legal Order, The Institutional Aspects of the Parliamentarian’s Role, and the Role of the Parliament. During the second day of the Conference, six (6) sessions were also held focusing on Special Questions of Parliamentary Work, Parliamentary Diplomacy, Special Questions of Parliamentary Law, the Relationship between the House of Representatives and the EU, Contemporary Approaches to the House’s Role, and Parallel Institutions, including Special Questions of Parliamentary Representation.
During the two-day Conference, the live broadcasts of the sessions received more than twenty five thousand (25,000) views on their respective screening platforms (Facebook Page and YouTube Channel of the School of Law of the University of Nicosia), while audience participation was both large and very fruitful. The audiovisual recordings of the Conference sessions will remain available through the aforementioned platforms offering valuable knowledge to everyone interested in the multi-level mission of the institution of the House of Representatives.