Government backs call for deputy ministers

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday gave the thumbs-up to the idea of deputy ministers, fuelling speculation that a cabinet reshuffle was on the cards.

But Attorney-general Alecos Markides said the creation of a new post of deputy minister would require a constitutional amendment.

Government spokesman Christos Stylianides said President Clerides had adopted a relevant proposal made by the head of Cyprus’s EU accession talks team, George Vassiliou, on Tuesday. Vassiliou had suggested the appointment of deputy ministers was a must if Cyprus was to keep pace with the growing demands of EU harmonisation.

“We consider it more than necessary to increase the number of political staff in order to enable us to meet the demands of the EU and the more general need for modernisation,” Stylianides told his daily press briefing yesterday morning.

He acknowledged the constitutionality of the creation of the new posts would have to be looked at by the Attorney-general.

“We realise the matter has two aspects, one legal and one political.” Stylianides said.

“The legal aspect is up to the Attorney-general and it is expected that when the President puts it to the Attorney-general we will have his ruling on it. Concerning the political aspect, we believe we cannot face the challenges of EU harmonisation with institutions established in 1960.”

Later in the day, the leader of left-wing opposition party Akel, Dimitris Christofias, said he did not support the creation of the new posts. There were other ways of meeting the demands of EU harmonisation which would not involve constitutional amendments, Christofias said. Vassiliou, for example, did not have a ministerial post but was doing much for EU harmonisation, the Akel leader said.

Markides said the constitutional amendment necessary for the creation of the new posts would require the support of two thirds of deputies in the 56- member House.

If Akel’s 18 deputies planned to vote against such an amendment, then discussion of the proposal became “purely academic,” he said.

Yesterday’s talk of new cabinet posts lent weight to rumours that Clerides is considering a reshuffle in the wake of poor opinion poll showings for many of his ministers. The government’s ratings have been hit by the controversial decision not to bring the S-300s, by corruption allegations against top officials and by rising crime.

Stylianides has dismissed the reshuffle speculation as groundless.

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.