PRESIDENT Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday hit back at claims by DISY Leader Nicos Anastassiades that the government cheated the people out of their votes in the last Presidential elections.
The President also brushed aside suggestions that CyBC was biased in favour of his government.
Speaking to reporters earlier, Anastassiades highlighted the government’s “broken promises” to the potato farmers.
“In the past, all the way up to today, the opposition has always made it known when it felt that the government was not living up to what it had promised the people prior to the elections.
“It is obviously that with everything that has been going on around us, the people have been cheated of their votes. The people were promised something, the government gained the trust of the people and the government has not delivered what they promised.”
Hitting back, Papadopoulos said Anastassiades was simply attacking the state and using the recent potato demonstrations as a tool against the government.
“The comments which stated that this government cheated the people out of their votes are simply attacking the legitimacy of the state. That is how the people voted and the opposition can say whatever they want.
“All that has happened is that an internal matter has arisen and the leader of the opposition is exploiting that matter to damage the integrity of the government. The fact is that the people voted and they elected the current government within the framework of democracy. If some people cannot accept that, then what can I say?”
The opposition party leader also took a swipe at CyBC, saying the state broadcaster was a “propaganda tool for President Papadopoulos and his government.”
“I believe that some people are still thinking with the same mentality that they were thinking back in the sixties. And it appears that CyBC is exclusively for the government and the President.
“The news appears to start with the President and end with the President. I am honestly beginning to ask myself how much publicity or rather how much more publicity does the President want. CyBC’s news content consists of 90 per cent of the government, and I daren’t even go into all the talk shows and how much they go on and on about the government.”
The President was less then impressed with the CyBC jibe, adding that the government had itself had problems with CyBC in the past.
“You journalists can judge for yourselves if CyBC is being biased towards the government or me. I don’t think that I need to remind you all how the government has had problems in the past with CyBC.”
The General Manager of CyBC Marios Mavrikios also dismissed the opposition leader’s claims. Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Mavrikios said: “I don’t agree at all with what Mr. Anastassiades said. Even the President stated today that he has had problems with CyBC in the past so how can he call us biased.
“But in any case, we are open to suggestions and complaints and if people or certain political figures believe that we are being one-sided then we promise to do our best to improve ourselves. Personally I believe that we are a fair, efficient and good quality television and radio broadcasting corporation.”
