The House Plenary voted on Thursday a bill amending the Cyprus Ports Authority Law. This will allow the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works to proceed with the publication of the tender proclamation, with a view to transfer all commercial operations at the Port of Limassol to private sector operators.

Thirty one MPs from the right-wing ruling Democratic Rally, the Democratic Party, the Social Democrat Movement EDEK and the European Party voted in favour of the bill, 18 MPs of the left-wing AKEL party and independent MP Zacharias Koulias voted against, while Ecologists` Movement George Perdikis abstained.

A privatisations programme, part of Cyprus €10 billion economic adjustment programme, includes the privatisation of Limassol Port, the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority and the Cyprus Electricity Authority, aiming to garner €1 billion by 2016.