AVEROF Neophytou, who succeeds Leontios Ierodiaconou as Communications and Works Minister, is a relative newcomer to mainstream politics.
The 38-year-old was elected to the House of Representatives as a Disy deputy for Paphos in the May 1996 parliamentary elections. Before that he was mayor of Polis Chrysochou, in the Paphos district, for five years.
As deputy, he has been a member of various House committees.
He was secretary for the Paphos branch of the Disy youth wing (Nedisy) and later vice-chairman of the organisation. He is a member of the Disy political office.
Neophytou was born in the village of Argaka outside Paphos in July 1961 and attended the Polis Gymnasium before going on to study Economics and accounting and Long Island University, New York. Neophytou is a board member of the Cyprus Football Association. He is not married. The appointment of new Government Spokesman, Michalis Papapetrou, is the closest President Clerides has got to realising his stated aim of including opposition parties in government.
Main opposition party Akel flatly refused to take any part in Clerides’ plans, but at least Papapetrou was once a deputy for the communist party. The 52-year-old lawyer was elected to the House on an Akel ticket in 1985. But in 1990 he broke ranks to help set up centre-left party Adisok, for whom he was deputy, vice-president and later president.
In 1996, Adisok merged with George Vassiliou’s United Democrats (UD) and Papapetrou was elected UD vice-president.
In his capacity as UD deputy leader, he is a member of the President’s top foreign policy advisory body, the National Council.
Born in Nicosia in March 1947, Papapetrou attended the Kykkos Gymnasium and later studied law at Athens University. He continued his studies at London University and has been a practising lawyer for the past 27 years.
Papapetrou is married with two children. Top accountant Frixos Savvides, the new Health Minister, is a bit of an unknown quantity (he is not listed in the Cyprus Who’s Who).
Forty-seven-year-old Savvides is chairman of Limassol’s top football club, Apollon.
He has held management positions in various chartered accounting firms and has also served on the board of the Telecommunication’s Authority (CyTA).
Born in the Troodos mountain village of Amiandos in October 1951, Savvides later studied accounting at Pultney college and Wallbrook college in London.
Savvides, who is the brother of former Communications Minister Pavlos Savvides, is married with two daughters and a son. Socratis Hasikos, the new Minister of Defence, has been a Disy deputy since 1991, elected from the Kyrenia constituency.
The 43-year-old right-winger is director of the subscription channel Alfa and was formerly director of Alithianewspaper.
As deputy, he has chaired the House Watchdog committee and a member of the House finance and refugee committees.
Born in Nicosia in March, 1956, Hasikos attended the Pancyprian gymnasium before studying law in Athens.
He is married with three children. The New Cabinet in full
Foreign Minister: Yiannakis Cassoulides
Interior Minister: Christodoulos Christodoulou
Finance Minister: Takis Clerides
Defence Minister: Socratis Hasikos
Justice Minister: Nicos Koshis
Commerce, Industry & Tourism Minister: Nicos Rolandis
Communications & Works Minister: Averof Neophytou
Labour & Social Insurance Minister: Andreas Moushiouttas
Health Minister: Frixos Savvides
Education Minister: Ouranios Ioannides
Agriculture Minister: Costas Themistocleous
Government Spokesman: Michalis Papapetrou
Under-Secretary to the President: Pantelis Kouros
