No pay rise planned for president, ministers

The finance ministry on Tuesday denied reports the government has proposed or intends to propose a salary increase for the President of the Republic and government ministers.

In a statement, the ministry deemed the claims “inaccurate”.

“The salary adjustments in the 2025 state budget only reflect the automatic cost of limit allowance (CoLA).

“The allowance, budgeted at around 1.67 per cent, is based on an interim agreement to cover 66.7 per cent of inflation and applies to 180,000 employees in both the public and private sectors,” the ministry said.

It added that the CoLA is granted in accordance with existing legislation as a measure to protect employees’ real incomes from inflation.

Furthermore, the ministry highlighted that a separate bill proposing a general 1.5 per cent pay increase for all state employees, currently under discussion in parliament, “does not apply to high-ranking officials such as the President, ministers, the government spokesperson, or others.

“It is evident that, apart from CoLA, no salary increase is being granted to state officials,” the statement stressed.

It also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the developmental focus of state expenditures, as outlined in the state budget, while maintaining sensitivity to social issues.

“Any other claim only aims to mislead public opinion,” the statement concluded.