By Martin Hellicar
THE NEXT Presidential elections may be more than three years away, but the island’s two main parties are already busy flexing their election muscles.
The leader of governing Disy, Nicos Anastassiades, yesterday indicated he might stand for election, with his party’s backing, in February 2003.
On Tuesday, the leader of main opposition party Akel, Demetris Christofias, indicated he might do the same, saying many “common people” had urged him to stand for election. At a press conference, Christofias launched what he termed a campaign for “democratic renewal,” a campaign to oust the Disy- backed Clerides government.
The early election fever has sparked a fresh round of particularly vitriolic sparring between Akel on the one hand and the government and Disy on the other.
At his own press conference yesterday, Anastassiades welcomed a possible Christofias candidacy, implying the left-wing leader would end up a loser.
The Disy leader declined to comment directly on whether he would try to succeed the ageing Clerides, but made it clear he thought it wise for the party to back its leader as a Presidential candidate.
“I have said many times that this is not an issue of capability or lack thereof, but an issue of meeting the challenge of power,” he said when asked if he would stand on a Disy ticket.
Clerides was Disy leader before he was first elected President in 1993 and Anastassiades said this set a good precedent for his right-wing party.
“If the precedent is to elect your party leader as President twice then it would appear to be a correct precedent and correct choice,” the Disy leader said.
He suggested it would be a mistake to back a “neutral,” as Akel had done, without success, in 1993 and 1998.
“Others, who went for candidates from other areas, have learnt, during the last two five-year terms, how elections are lost,” he said.
On Tuesday, Christofias presented his party’s manifesto for the new millennium and launched an attack of the government’s record both at home and abroad.
The attack obviously irked the government, for Government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou yesterday read out a two-page statement attacking Christofias and Akel.
The Akel leader charged the Clerides government with leading the Cyprus problem into a “dangerous cul-de-sac” and with gross mismanagement of internal affairs.
“Those in government daily prove their inability to solve the big problems burdening the land, which are growing continuously,” Christofias said.
The Akel leader called on other “progressive and democratic” parties do join in the battle to oust Clerides.
Papapetrou, in his written statement, questioned Akel’s timing for launching what he termed an election campaign.
“More than three years away from the next Presidential elections, Akel evidently considers that this is the suitable moment to begin workings for the next elections,” the spokesman stated.
He said the continuing UN-led Cyprus settlement proximity talks should make this a time for inter-party unity.
Other parties were calling for unity “and it is at least worth wondering why Akel chose exactly this time to make its intentions clear,” Papapetrou said.
“It is evident that the Akel leadership is trying to mislead the Cypriot people by creating artificial confrontations and with its simplistic, sterile and negative approach to everything the government produces,” the spokesman added.
Papapetrou also alleged Akel had abandoned its traditional Cyprus problem stance and was supporting a policy on the national issue that would “with mathematical precession, lead to the reinforcement of the results of the invasion and occupation.”
