Reshuffle rumours are back

By Martin Hellicar

RESHUFFLE talk returned to centre-stage on the political scene yesterday after presidential advisor Alexis Galanos said President Clerides was about to make his move.

Democratic Renewal party leader Galanos, who met the President yesterday morning, said Clerides would be forming a broad-based government after the conclusion of his “dialogue” with the parties.

Clerides began his party talks last month with the aim of reaching consensus on key issues such as EU harmonisation legislation, privatisation plans, tax hikes and interest rates liberalisation. There is no fixed expiry date for the talks.

Rumours of a reshuffle have been rife ever since junior government partners Edek jumped ship in protest at the President’s controversial December 29 decision to bow to international pressure and redirect the S-300 missiles to Crete.

Observers believe the government is in dire need of an image overhaul after the damaging S-300 climb-down and a string of sleaze scandals.

Clerides was last month forced into a minor reshuffle after the resignations of Government spokesman Christos Stylianides and Interior Minister Dinos Michaelides. Stylianides left over the cabinet decision to clear Michaelides of persistent corruption allegations. Michaelides resigned in the face of these allegations – despite being cleared by state probes.

Stylianides was replaced by Costas Serezis and Michaelides by Christodoulos Christodoulou, who moved over from the Finance Ministry. Takis Clerides took over as Finance Minister.

If and when a full-scale reshuffle comes, favourites for the chop are rumoured to be unpopular ministers Christos Solomis (Health) and Andreas Moushiouttas (Labour).

But Clerides’s professed desire to form a broad-based government with ministers from all parties would appear to have little chance of being realised, as opposition party leaders have already made it clear they want no part in it.

The President would thus be likely to try and choose ministers with no particular party affiliation in a bid to boost his government’s popularity. Ruling Disy, however, will probably be pushing to maintain its almost complete domination of the cabinet.

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.