Three sides claim debate victory

THE PARTIES backing the three main contenders in next month’s presidential elections looked back on Monday’s televised debate yesterday, all throwing accusations at their opponents and all trying to assert their own candidate was top dog in the debate.
The contenders discussed the economy on Monday during a live televised debate broadcast by Cyprus’ four main TV channels Sigma, Mega, CyBC and Ant1.
The debate was watched by over 70 per cent of viewers with about 243,000 in the first half. However this number dwindled to a little over 189,000 viewers for the second half, which began at around 10:30pm, according to AGB Cyprus Nielsen audience measurement.
DISY spokesman Haris Georgiades said the party’s leader Nicos Anastasiades was the only one who managed to “steer clear of irresponsible populism and demagogy”.
“He spoke about how the island could move forward whereas his fellow contenders were restricted to comment and criticised Anastasiades’ proposals,” Georgiades said.
DISY’s Christos Stylianides had more specific things to say on the other two candidates.
He trashed the proposals of EDEK-backed Giorgos Lillikas who, for the better part of the debate, focused on his proposals to pre-sell part of natural gas found in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone.
It has been already been proven with numbers that Cyprus would get a relatively small amount that would not suffice for the island’s needs, Stylianides said.
He was referring to statements by experts, including the energy chief Solon Kassinis, who said that Lillikas’ proposal was not viable, both because the actual gas reserves needed to be proved, not only estimated, but also because issuing an initial public offering would be underselling the finds that are worth more with the proper infrastructure in place.
Stylianides also criticised Malas’ take on the bailout and questioned the point of the AKEL candidate’s insistence that he would secure the banks’ recapitalisation needs.
EDEK’s Marinos Sizopoulos said that Anastasiades contradicted himself, going back on positions he previously held including that of privatising semi-governmental organisations.
Sizopoulos also commented on Anastasiades’ outburst against Lillikas who had accused him of constantly apologising, hinting that his political views were easily changed.
Anastasiades said on Monday that he has only offered “two mea culpa” during his career. One to DIKO’s people who are now asked to vote for him, an allusion to his stance in favour of the 2004 proposed settlement to the Cyprus problem, and another mea culpa for being overly tolerant of the current government’s actions [on the economy].
Sizopoulos said that he could count at least four but did not elaborate.
Turning to Malas, Sizopoulos criticised him for his efforts to fend off criticism targeted to the current administration.
“He consistently failed to defend… the policy of a government that he was a member of for 18 months,” Sizopoulos said referring to Malas’ term as health minister.
“This speaks of weakness and shared responsibility,” he said.
Former finance minister Kikis Kazamias jumped in to defend Malas arguing that he was the only candidate who gave concrete proposals.
Lillikas failed to convince anyone on his natural gas proposal which he presented without evidence, Kazamias said.
And Anastasiades “over-emphasised his good relationship with foreign leaders” but failed to speak of their clear attempt to “get involved in our domestic affairs”.
Commenting on the European tacit vote of confidence in Anastasiades during last week’s high-profile European People’s Party summit in Limassol, Kazamias questioned the intentions of partners who would declare support for Cyprus only in the event that Anastasiades was elected.
AKEL spokesman Giorgos Loucaides accused Anastasiades of cultivating a myth that he has excellent European relations despite the money laundering accusations emanating from his EEP buddies, he said.
Anastasiades’ “chaotic statements” show that his government would be equally chaotic, Loucaides said, referring to Anastasiades’ softening of his pro-privatisation position.
Only with Malas could the country be safe from “bowing to German and conservative directives” aiming to annul the social state, workers’ rights, and sell off the country’s national wealth, Loucaides said.
A look at people’s comments on online media paints a different picture. A number of people commenting on twitter and Facebook as the debate unfolded criticised the format as ineffective. One journalist would pose a specific question to one of the candidates and once that cycle was up, a colleague would move on with a different question to another candidate.
Others became frustrated at candidates’ vague answers.  But candidates will have a chance to redeem themselves during the following two debates, scheduled for January 28 and February 11. Elections are due on February 17.