A CIRCLE of opposition appeared to be closing in on President Demetris Christofias yesterday, with all parties repeating calls for his resignation.
Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou warned that opposition DISY’s demand for the president to either step down or call early elections would set a “dangerous precedent”.
Christofias has come under severe criticism after refusing to accept the conclusions of investigator Polys Polyviou’s report into the Mari naval base blast, announced on Monday. Polyviou largely pointed the finger of blame at Christofias, saying he had political and personal responsibility for the explosion, which killed 13 people on July 11.
Responding to the comment by ruling AKEL that the opposition was orchestrating a political coup, DISY spokesman Haris Georgiades said yesterday AKEL and the presidential palace were talking up conspiracies again and “seeing ghosts”.
“Since when does appealing to the people, an act eminently democratic, political and responsible, equate with a coup?” he asked.
Georgiades also commented on the government’s announcement that it will wait to study the police’s own report on the investigations into the blast.
The police’s job was not to assign political responsibility, he said, adding that only the Attorney-general has the right to study the police files. “We won’t rush to talk of a judicial coup on the part of Mr Christofias and AKEL,” said the DISY spokesman.
AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou said the president and AKEL were not to blame because some parties had decided to move towards a “political coup”. He also accused the media of bias, portraying one side only.
AKEL spokesman Giorgos Loucaides called on parties DIKO and EDEK to clarify whether they plan on joining DISY and its leader Nicos Anastassiades in the latter’s plans to “seize power”.
A response of sorts came later in the day when former coalition partner DIKO threw its weight behind calls for the president to step down.
Following a meeting of its executive office, party leader Marios Garoyian said Christofias could not stay in power following Polyviou’s clear apportioning of blame.
DIKO proposed the parties agree on a candidate of common acceptance for the remainder of the presidential term and set up a government of unity or wide acceptance.
Speaking after a meeting of the party’s political office, House President and EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou said doubting the results of the Polyviou report was leading Cyprus towards a “deep crisis”.
Those who appointed Polyviou, the president and cabinet, were now questioning his conclusions, leading to a “crisis of public confidence in the political system”, he said.
EDEK spokesman Demetris Papadakis said Christofias had no choice but to resign, describing the undermining of the Polyviou report as “outrageous and grotesque”.
Omirou said EDEK had a duty to respond to the people’s demand to see political responsibility assumed.
Asked how the party would do this, he replied: “We will move politically, decisively, strictly and religiously within the limits of constitutional legality.”
AKEL remained on the defensive, with Loucaides condemning the “growing climate of hatred and fanaticism” created by politicians in collusion with the media, noting the “political cannibalism” seen post-Mari.
The AKEL spokesman called on the opposition to remember AKEL’s own “patriotic responsibility” during the S300 missile fiasco in the 1990s and the stock exchange scandal when nobody asked for then president Glafcos Clerides to resign.
He accused DISY of “hypocritical” oversensitivity, noting that this was the party that still tried to vindicate EOKA B and its leader Grivas.
Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou warned that DISY’s demands for the president’s resignation or early elections were “unusual, novel and dangerous” for the smooth and stable running of the system.
“Those who think they’ve found a golden opportunity to request the resignation of the president should know that these approaches create a dangerous precedent and open the floodgates that will bring the country into a protracted state of constitutional adventure,” he said.
“It’s up to the citizens to determine whether, for a country under occupation, this is in the public and national interest,” he added.
Meanwhile, state broadcaster CyBC reported last night that 13 of the 14 people allegedly recommended by police to face charges over the blast will face the charge of manslaughter. Citing sources, the broadcaster said most of the people in the list belonged to the National Guard.
