SUNDAY’S elections saw 12 deputies lose their seats from the previous Parliament, while there will be 20 new faces in the new, reshuffled House of Representatives.
In total, there were six new deputies elected for AKEL, seven for DISY, four for DIKO, two for EDEK and one for the European Party.
Four deputies failed to retain their seat for DISY, three for AKEL, two for DIKO and one each for the European Party, ADIK and the European Democrats.
The United Democrats failed to gain a seat.
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Possibly the biggest surprise of all was the failure of former DIKO Deputy Nicos Pittokopitis – whose mobile telephone was switched off all day yesterday – to retain his Paphos seat in the new Parliament.
Others ousted included Katie Cleridou, Antonis Carras, Andreas Papapolyviou and Zacharias Zachariou of DISY and Stella Michaouli, Georgios Hadjigeorgiou and Kyriacos Tyrimos of AKEL.
Besides Pittokopitis, the only former DIKO deputy not to be re-elected was Aristos Chrysostomou. Finally, ADIK President Dinos Michaelides, Christodoulos Taramountas of the European Party and European Democrats Head Prodromos Prodromou also lost their seat in Parliament. Taramountas and Prodromou had both won their seats in 2001 under the DISY label, splintering away from the party after the 2004 referendum.
The United Democrats failed to meet the threshold for election to the House and now no longer have a seat. Party leader Michalis Papapetrou confirmed to the Cyprus Mail yesterday that he would be calling for a party meeting in June to announce his resignation. “But I would not like to comment further,” he added.
The party’s Neshe Yashin, the only Turkish Cypriot candidate of this year’s elections, admitted yesterday she was “very disappointed” at her party’s failure to gain a seat. But she has no regrets.
“I don’t regret being a candidate, although I didn’t reach my target of representing the United Democrats in Parliament. But it was an opportunity to make my worries heard to Cypriots and I worked with people who believed in peace and the reunification of Cyprus,” said Yashin.
“And although our party lost, we gave a good fight,” she added.
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Among the newly elected deputies are former Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides and State Pathologist Panicos Stavrianos, both of AKEL.
Stavrianos becomes the second state pathologist to enter parliament, following in the footsteps of Marios Matsakis of DIKO, now an MEP.
Another former Government Spokesman to enter the House is DISY’s new deputy Christos Stylianides, who served under President Glafcos Clerides.
As expected, the son of President Tassos Papadopoulos, Nicolas Papadopoulos was elected, as was DIKO colleague Marios Karoyian.
Karoyian served as head of the President’s Press Office from 2003 until 2006 and also as deputy Government Spokesman.
DISY also saw the re-appearance of the party’s Vice President, Averoff Neophytou, who gave up his seat when he became Communications Minister in the Clerides government, as well as former Defence Minister Socratis Hasikos.
He is joined by another defence expert, Aristotelis Aristotelous of AKEL, who is the head of the Cyprus Centre for Strategic Studies.
“My preoccupation with the public is not new. I have many years of contribution to matters involving not only defence, but also tourism and commerce,” he said yesterday.
“I believe being elected as a Member of Parliament is a continuation of my social contribution and now through the Parliament I will be able to contribute more actively,” Aristotelous told said yesterday.
Kypros Chrysostomides, once of DIKO, was keen to express his gratitude to the people of AKEL for electing him.
“I am especially honoured to be elected and I thank the people of AKEL for honouring me with their vote,” he said yesterday. “This has created a particular obligation for me to respond to their expectations and I will do whatever is possible in order to promote matters that are of interest to everyone.”
He said Parliament was in dire need of renewal, “and I believe we generally need more modern methods in the way problems are handled.”
Joining Eleni Theocharous of Doctors of the World is her new DISY colleague in Parliament, Stella Kyriacidou, a clinical psychologist and president of breast cancer organisation Europa Donna in Cyprus. She is an active member of international organisations for the fight against breast cancer and has been internationally acclaimed for her work. In 2001 she was a Cypriot candidate for the award “Woman of Europe” and currently works in the child psychology department of the Makarios Hospital.
NEWLY ELECTED DEPUTIES
AKEL
Kypros Chrysostomides, Aristos Aristotelous, Andreas Mouskallis, Panicos Stavrianos, Pambis Kyritsis, Andreas Fakontis
DISY
Stella Kyriakidou, Andreas Themistocleous, Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis, Tassos Mitsopoulos, Averoff Neophytou, Socratis Hasikos, Christos Stylianides
DIKO
Marios Karoyian, Nicolas Papadopoulos, Angelos Votsis, Antonis Antoniou
EDEK
Fidias Sarikas, Roulla Mavronicola
European Party
Nicos Koutsou
