The way Nikos Christodoulides attempts to govern seems to be evolving into a dangerous farce. Never before in the history of the Republic of Cyprus has there been a government and a president who took the reins of the country under such favorable conditions as Nikos Christodoulides and managed, within a year of governance, to spread so much disappointment in society.
Even among his most fervent supporters, there is now strong discontent and dissatisfaction with the way Nikos Christodoulides operates as the President of the Republic. The man who entered as a wedge between the two major parties, demolished the party system, and with the blessings of the majority of society, settled in the Presidential Palace to transform into action, as he declared during the electoral campaign, the social contract he signed with the citizenry after a long dialogue, is now crumbling the expectations of the people who believed in him like a house of cards.
However, the greatest disappointment arises from the way President Christodoulides handles society. Because the management of issues is directly linked to a politician’s respect for the citizens to whom he is accountable. Handshakes and philanthropic events may be nice, and the posts on Instagram by the President and the First Lady may be beautiful and impressive, but governing means making decisions and practicing politics. It means leading developments, not being led by them.
Last Sunday, President Christodoulides stated in an interview with Phileleftheros that he would proceed with a reshuffle before eighteen months. He was neither pressured nor forced to declare anything. Instead, he was asked to assess the first ten months of his governance by Phileleftheros chief editor Kyriaki Androula Taramounta, and he responded as follows:
“Your question is whether I will proceed with a reshuffle or not, to speak plainly. What I can say with certainty is that a reshuffle will take place before completing 18 months of governance. I want to clarify this because I heard and read that allegedly my criterion for initiating a reshuffle is the 18-month tenure in government to secure a ministerial pension. Rest assured that there will be a reshuffle before completing 18 months of governance.”
On the same day and time the interview was circulating in Phileleftheros, two other newspapers had headlines about the reshuffle coming before 18 months. One of them even reported that the reshuffle would happen very soon. Both articles cited government sources. So, clear words, as the President says. Nikos Christodoulides, apparently, after receiving advice from his communication experts, wanted to give the impression that the government was making a “restart” with the new year after the repeated blunders of the first ten months of his governance.
Therefore, in his wisdom, perhaps with the advice of his wise advisers, he decided that he should announce a reshuffle for which he was not ready. He cannot find people willing to become members of a government formation that flounders through its weaknesses and a President who bears the mark of indecisiveness. Let’s not comment on the clumsy and unethical way he decided to announce a decision for which he was not ready. On the one hand, he announced a reshuffle in the Phileleftheros interview, and on the other hand, his associates leaked the intention of a reshuffle to other newspapers to create a surrounding buzz.
Yesterday, Nikos Christodoulides, in another communication performance in front of open cameras, tried to downplay the impressions regarding the reshuffle and reassure his ministers, indirectly putting the whole story on journalists. But now the game is lost.
After the blunder with the 19-year-old advisor and the belated reaction, after the repeated postponements in announcing measures, after the fiasco with the appointment at the Public Service Commission, after the fuss about the request for overtime pay for the deputy government spokesperson, with leaks about the search for a new police chief and a new Minister of Justice, this has now been added to the government achievements of the Nikos Christodoulides administration.
