DISY chief Nicos Anastassiades yesterday rejected claims a survey by his party showed DIKO leader Tasos Papadopoulos would win the Presidential election, while Papadopoulos complained that ministers acted as “highly paid propagandists” for President Glafcos Clerides.
Meanwhile third presidential hopeful, Attorney-general Alecos Markides, accused Papadopoulos of avoiding public dialogue with him, preferring instead to use “big words” before recruited applauders.
Anastassiades rubbished Papadopoulos’ claims concerning the existence of a survey showing him winning the elections and put such beliefs down to the DIKO chief’s “pious desires”.
“I want to deny in a categorical way, Mr. Papadopoulos’ pious desires that we supposedly carried out a survey, that we have a survey, and that he is supposedly elected from the ‘third round’,” Anastassiades said.
Papadopoulos yesterday visited the disaster-stricken areas in Limassol from where he accused Clerides of “not honouring the people by presenting his positions” and using his ministers to campaign for him.
“They say that there is no election campaigning, while he has several of the most highly-paid and able propagandists, like the cabinet, which uses the authority of its position to carry out the pre-election struggle,” Papadopoulos said.
Clerides said, when he announced he was seeking re-election that he would not carry out an election campaign.
Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou countered that ministers, whom Papadopoulos wanted to remain silent, have the right and the obligation to restore the truth, which was twisted by Papadopoulos and his comrades in arms, in order to promote the government’s work in its full dimension.
But while Papadopoulos accused Clerides of shying away from publicity, Markides yesterday charged that the DIKO leader was avoiding public dialogue with him on the issues concerning the people.
In a written statement, Markides said his opponent used 1960’s tactics and mentalities, preferring “monologues and big words from election balconies before recruited applauders”.
Markides’ wish for a public debate could become true though Valentine’s Day could scupper his chances of scoring some points over his opponent.
The four big television stations had agreed to co-host a public debate with the four main contenders – Clerides, Papadopoulos, Markides and New Horizons chief Nicos Koutsou — just two days before the election.
It is almost sure however that Clerides will not participate, but the main problem with hosting such a debate, even without the President, is the failure to find a venue.
It was initially planned for the debate to be held on February 14 – Valentine’s Day — at the Hilton Hotel or some other main hotel in Nicosia.
The problem however was that hotels seemed unwilling to host such a debate because of the expected business they expected on the specific day.
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.
