Our View: Elections proved hardline camp are no longer an attractive option

2011-05-25

 

ALTHOUGH the parties with a hard line on the Cyprus problem tried, during the election campaign, to capitalise on their supposedly uncompromising views, the ploy proved a big failure.

EDEK, which made a big song and dance about rotational presidency, ended up with the same share of the vote it had secured in 2006, when the ‘no’ campaign and the referendum were still fresh in people’s memory. DIKO, although it had toned down its hard-line rhetoric slightly during the campaign, in order to keep its alliance with AKEL alive, saw its share of the vote fall by two percentage points on Sunday.

Forging alliances on the road to 2013

2011-05-25

POLITICAL parties are playing their cards close to their chest in what can only be described as a poker game for the upcoming election of a new House Speaker – seen as a key factor in forging alliances on the road to the 2013 presidential ballot.

In a 56-seat parliament, in order to be elected House Speaker a candidate needs at least 29 votes (50 per cent plus one).

But given the results of Sunday’s elections, the support of at least three parties is a must for any hopeful to be assured of success.

In the new House, DISY has 20 seats, AKEL 19, DIKO nine, socialists EDEK five, the European Democrats two, and the Greens one.

Number of women deputies drops to 10pct

2011-05-25

THE Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) yesterday voiced its disappointment over the small number of women elected in parliament in Sunday’s elections.

Just six women out of 98 female candidates succeeded in winning a seat in the 56-member legislature, two fewer than the previous parliamentary election held in 2006.

The total number of candidates was 412.

Three of the new female MPs come from AKEL while DISY, DIKO and EDEK elected one each.

EDEK MP Roula Mavronicola’s election has been challenged by two other – male — candidates from her party who have asked for a recount of the votes.

It had been Sunday’s tightest battle, with just a few votes separating the three.

Election losers pragmatic in the face of defeat

2011-05-25

 

THE FOUR newcomer parties did not manage to get in parliament having only garnered a meagre 2.13 per cent between them.

The Cyprus Progressive Cooperation, KYPROS, were the biggest losers managing to harness 709 votes or 0.18 per cent of total. KYPROS president Thekla Petridou said they were “unpleasantly surprised” by the result but would continue their political action.

The Independent Citizens Movement, ZYGOS, did slightly better with 0.21 per cent or 858 votes.  ZYGOS leader John Cannas told the Mail that their aim had never been just to be voted into parliament but act as a group against corruption.

The Citizen’s Rights Bureau of the Popular Socialist Movement, LASOK, did better with a total of 2,668 votes or 0.66 per cent.

‘We are not Europhobes’

2011-05-25

THE government and ruling AKEL yesterday objected to a centre-right European politician describing the administration as “Europhobic” in a congratulatory letter sent to opposition DISY for their election success.

In a letter to DISY chief Nicos Anastassiades, the leader of the European People’s Party (EPP) Wilfried Martens said the election result was “a strong vote of confidence for Europe since DISY was the leading and reliable proponent of the European project in Cyprus.”

He added: “Even though Europe has been sidelined in the last three years by the current Cypriot President, I am convinced that DISY’s victory marks the beginning of the end of his left, Europhobic governance.”

Defence questions know-how of witness

2011-05-25

 

THE DEFENCE in the murder trial of media boss Andis Hadjicostis yesterday tried to find faults in audio visual expert Grigoras Catalin’s analysis of video footage and photographs, even questioning his expertise.

Lawyer for one of four suspects, Andreas Gregoriou’s lawyer, Michalis Pikis claimed that the defence cannot rely on the conclusions of Catalin’s report, presented last September to authorities.

On Monday, Catalin presented his analysis of the footage of the motorcycle and van involved in the murder, claiming that the motorcycle caught on CCTV by Finlandia taxi, close to the murder scene, was the same as in a photo of Gregoriou’s bike.

Ash disruptions at bay for now

2011-05-25

AN ICELANDIC volcano has erupted again, although for now flights to and from Cyprus remain unaffected.

Late yesterday, Hermes Airports were anticipating the cancellation of one charter flight from Glasgow, however all other flights from Larnaca and Paphos airports until late today were on schedule.

Hermes Airport PR Manager Adamos Aspris said last night: “Currently we are not affected by ash clouds, and any prediction made by the competent authorities, such as the Meteorological office in London, last 24 hours.”

Top Tory gets Cyprus base review job

2011-05-25

THE FUTURE of the British bases in Cyprus is back in the spotlight after the British Prime Minister David Cameron gave a senior advisory role on the future of Dhekelia and Akrotiri to the controversial Conservative donor Lord Ashcroft.

The appointment was confirmed by British Defence Secretary Liam Fox last night. He said the peer would undertake the role to the review British military instillations in Cyprus, despite objections from opposition Labour politicians and the deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

According to reports Nick Clegg made it clear he was “not keen” on the appointment, but the prime minister chose to go ahead.

Bank of Cyprus Q1 falls on state levy, provisions

2011-05-25

BANK OF Cyprus posted a 13 per cent drop in first quarter net profit as it jacked up provisioning costs and paid a new levy to the cash-strapped government.

The bank repeated expectations that net profit for the full year would be similar to 2010’s €306m.

First quarter net profit was €71m. Provisions rose 7.0 per cent while tax in Cyprus rose 150 per cent following a €5m payment to the government.

Cyprus imposed a 0.095 per cent tax on deposits of banking institutions this year. Part of the proceeds will go to a bank stability fund with the rest going to the state, struggling to keep a lid on a rising public deficit.

Pre-tax profit was up 2.0 per cent to €93m, the bank said. Net interest income rose 14 per cent to €276m.

108-year-old dies

2011-05-25

ONE OF the oldest women in Cyprus, Eleni Michael Tanousi, died yesterday at the grand age of 108.

Tanousi was born in 1903 on New Year’s Day in Ayia Marina Skyllouras, in the north of Cyprus, but has been living in Kotsiati since the Turkish invasion. She was married to Michael Tanousi who died in 1960.

She had nine children, one of whom has already died. The remainder have gone on to give her 40 grandchildren, 90 great-grandchildren and 25 great-great grandchildren.

Her funeral is today at 4pm at the Ayia Marina church in Kotsiati, with the burial being held at the Maronite cemetery in Anthoupolis.

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.