DIKO has no problem with Lakkotrypis’ re-appointment as energy minister

RE-APPOINTING Giorgos Lakkotrypis as energy minister would not be a problem for former coalition partners DIKO but re-appointing all four of the party’s ministers would be considered a provocation, DIKO deputy head Marcos Kyprianou said on Wednesday.

Speaking to CyBC radio, Kyprianou said now that Lakkotrypis had resigned from the party he was just an ordinary citizen and the president was free to re-appoint him to his position as energy minister if he so wished.

“But if the president keeps all of the DIKO members in his cabinet, it will be considered as a political move aimed at DIKO and will be dealt with accordingly,” said Kyprianou.

DIKO’s four ministers, education’s Kyriakos Kenevezos, health’s Petros Petrides, and defence’s Fotis Fotiou, along with  Lakkotrypis, handed in their resignations to the president on February 28, with the other members of the cabinet.

But President Nicos Anastasiades asked the cabinet members to remain to their posts until March 15, when he is expected to reshuffle.

The DIKO ministers’ resignations were prompted by the party’s decision to leave the coalition, citing disagreement on the way the Cyprus problem was being handled. After heated discussions within the party, DIKO leader Nicolas Papadopoulos asked all the party’s ministers to resign from their posts. All four disagreed with Papadopoulos’ decision.

Lakkotrypis subsequently announced his resignation from the party itself, leaving the way open for him to be re-appointed.

 

 

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