The Supreme Constitutional Court today unanimously declared unconstitutional a law passed by the House of Representatives on 13 March 2025.
The law mandated the installation of countdown timers at traffic lights monitored by cameras.
The court ruled that the law violates Article 82 of the Constitution, as it would lead to increased state expenditures not provided for in the budget. According to the Constitutional Court judges, implementing the law would incur additional costs and charges due to necessary alterations to traffic lights, software conversions, and potential relocation of lights.
The court’s decision supported the positions of the President of the Republic, represented by lawyer M. Antoniou, and rejected the arguments of the House of Representatives, represented by lawyer A. Aimilianides. The House had contended it possessed unlimited sovereignty over legislation it passes and the right to amend laws deemed incompatible with the Constitution.
The House had issued an ultimatum to the President of the Republic, stating that if the countdown timers were not installed within six months, the recording of red-light violations by cameras would be suspended.
President Christodoulides had cited both technical and constitutional reasons for referring the law back to the House. Specifically, his referral mentioned studies by the Public Works Department indicating that the countdown timer system is incompatible with the smart traffic light system set to be installed at 125 signalised intersections.
Furthermore, the President’s position was that the system would cause confusion and potentially lead to accidents for drivers, as an adaptive smart traffic light system, dependent on traffic flow, would take effect after the pre-determined countdown period.
Finally, the President also raised constitutional concerns, arguing that the law’s implementation would incur increased costs for the state. He also highlighted that non-implementation of the legislation within six months would result in the abolition of red-light violations, which would constitute a breach of contract with the company awarded the project.
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