New ministers sworn in

PRESIDENT Clerides swore-in five new members to his cabinet yesterday morning, replacing the Diko ministers who resigned last week after the collapse of the Disy-Diko government coalition.

George Stavrinakis took the place of Dinos Michaelides as Interior Minister. George Charalambides took over the Ministry of defence from Costas Eliades. Andreas Mantovanis succeeded Costas Petrides as Agriculture Minister. Efstathios Papadakis was sworn-in as Labour Minister to replace Andreas Moushiouttas, while Michalakis Michaelides took over from Kyriacos Christofi as Commerce Minister.

The five new ministers were appointed to the 11-member cabinet for a four- month period – until the February presidentials. Their first task will be to tackle the 40 items on the agenda for tomorrow’s cabinet meeting.

“Our appointment takes place at a crucial time because of developments in Cyprus and ahead of next year’s presidential elections,” George Stavrinakis, acting as spokesman for the new appointees, said. He thanked the President for the trust he had shown in them and pledged to offer “substantive services to our respective ministries.”

Clerides said he was “sure we shall co-operate fully.”

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.