KISOS’ aim is the formation of a government of the widest possible consent with a stable progressive direction, party chairman Yiannakis Omirou said yesterday.
Speaking at a news conference called to outline his strategy in the run up to next year’s presidential elections, Omirou said KISOS would not get into a process of haggling, stressing that dialogue and the desire to achieve consensus was addressed to all political forces in the country, with no exceptions.
Omirou, however, grasped the chance to take a shot at his former political partners, AKEL and DIKO, who have agreed to contest the elections with DIKO Chairman Tassos Papadopoulos as candidate.
“Do not expect lack of transparency, horse trading or secret deals; our proposal is a clear proposal for wider consent,” Omirou said.
He added that KISOS was abandoning the policies, which others had chosen to follow in the past.
Omirou said his party’s proposal was open and progressive, but there would not be any negotiation on that aspect, because “its progressive direction was non-negotiable”.
He explained that no other political or social force had intervened in the formation of KISOS’ proposal.
Omirou said his proposal was addressed to the whole of society, adding that KISOS and AKEL voters had more in common than dividing them.
“Our proposal could find appeal with AKEL,” Omirou said.
The KISOS chairman said he would be calling regular news conferences in order to promote his party’s efforts “for the rebirth of the country”.
“I hope it helps reporters get a clear picture of KISOS’ policy. Unfortunately, we already have unfair arguments by political powers, which lead the voters to expect other things,” Omirou said.
He suggested the Cypriot people deserved a better political culture and argued that political arguments had been replaced by mere gossip and forged positions.
Omirou said his party would fight for a better level of political culture, adding that, “as a candidate, I wish to discuss the level and ethos of the political campaign with my election opponents and towards this I would be presenting a comprehensive proposal at the beginning of September”.
He added that it was the time for planning effective strategies and that could not be done by remaining entrenched on stereotypes of the past.
Concerning the internal administration, Omirou said the country was facing serious problems as well as scandals, with the 1999 stock market fiasco being at the top of the list.
Omirou said citizens were asking for transparency and the formation of a progressive government of the widest possible consent that would put an end to the division of the country.
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.
