Rally call by Christofias as AKEL’s Mavrou lags
AKEL chief Demetris Christofias has issued a rally call to the three-way coalition supporting Eleni Mavrou’s candidacy for the Nicosia mayorship, after polls showing the deputy to be trailing the other candidates.
Nicosia has never had a female mayor before, but this time round two of the four contestants are women.
Mavrou’s rivals are incumbent Michalakis Zampelas, DISY-backed Anna Marangou, and the head of the technical chamber ETEK, Nicos Mesaritis.
A recent survey commissioned by DISY gave Marangou 26 per cent, with Zampelas coming narrowly second with 24 per cent. Mavrou garnered just 15 per cent, despite the support of AKEL, EDEK and DIKO.
A defeat for Mavrou would be seen as a severe blow to the tripartite coalition, not to mention an embarrassment after weeks of haggling on who should stand in Nicosia.
In what was probably a knee-jerk reaction, AKEL has cultivated a siege mentality, saying that Mavrou’s candidacy is under attack from all quarters, but especially from the communist party’s arch-enemy DISY.
Apparently alarmed by the signals, Christofias on Sunday urged the grass roots to “be consistent” and vote for the designated candidates.
The AKEL leader even went so far as to admit that cracks were appearing within his own party.
“Unfortunately, Eleni Mavrou’s candidacy is being attacked. And I’m not speaking about the voters or members of the other parties. You might have noticed that I first made this appeal to the cadres and friends of AKEL. Therefore, this solidarity, mutual respect and joint effort concerns us all.”
At the weekend Mavrou campaigned in the suburb of Kaimakli, considered to be Zampelas’ turf. She was flanked by none other than AKEL big gun Nicos Katsourides, who claimed AKEL was getting very positive feedback on Mavrou’s candidacy.
Katsourides went on to call Zampelas “an absentee mayor.”
Mavrou herself, who normally is not confrontational, attacked Zampelas for “commercialising” the Nicosia municipality, citing as an example the advertisements fitted on the capital’s Christmas tree.
“We feel Nicosia deserves better. It deserves a smile,” Mavrou said.
Zampelas will be running as an independent candidate, not affiliated to any political party. He says that under his watch the municipality secured independent financing to the tune of six million pounds, without loans, and another eight million from the European Union.
He has also pledged that, if re-elected, he will continue with various projects, including the major redevelopment of Eleftheria Sqaure as well as with new projects such as the reconstruction of at least three major roads.
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