President Nikos Christodoulides surprised colleagues by announcing a cabinet reshuffle upon his return from Ukraine, delivering the news ahead of his name day and birthday today.
The new government has a centre-right direction with a social liberalism profile and is more political and less technocratic than before.
Christodoulides made the decisions on the train whilst returning from Ukraine, and no one knew his intentions until he landed in Cyprus around 3pm, when he informed everyone.
He delivered the reshuffle, implementing something he had mentioned months ago—that he would follow the Clerides recipe and carry out a reshuffle when no one expects it.
The presence of DIKO in the new government appears strengthened, with two party vice-presidents joining the cabinet: Michalis Damianos and Neofytos Charalambidis.
Damianos moves from the Health Ministry to the Energy Ministry, replacing Giorgos Papanastasiou, who came from the broader centre space and did not belong to DIKO’s hardcore. Charalambidis will replace Damianos at Health.
DEPA is also strengthened with the appointment of Marinos Mousiouttas, an MP and frontline figure. Mousiouttas goes to the Labour Ministry, a space where another Mousiouttas—his uncle Andreas—once served as minister.
Three others on the reshuffle list are positioned in the broader DISY right space: Konstantinos Fytiris and Marios Hartsiiotis. Fytiris replaces Hartsiiotis at the difficult Justice and Public Order Ministry. Hartsiiotis, as Presidency Commissioner, will be in the wider presidential circle.
Klea Hadjistefanou Papaellina, appointed to the Social Welfare deputy ministry, is considered a move to re-approach the well-known business family.
EDEK issued a statement expressing strong dissatisfaction with the reshuffle. “The reshuffle causes strong dissatisfaction in EDEK. EDEK’s sincere effort so far to contribute with proposals and positions to the success of the government’s work and its selfless behaviour appear not to have been appreciated,” the statement said.
The Political Bureau will meet tomorrow in an extraordinary session to discuss relations with the government, with all options open.
The Presidential Palace rejects EDEK’s reaction, arguing that no change affected the movement. No existing minister was removed to bring in another, as happened with DIKO and DEPA.
EDEK’s reaction may have deeper causes going back to the Maria Panagiotou issue. Despite the Agriculture Minister coming from EDEK’s ranks, the socialists insist the movement is not represented in government.
Some grumbling is recorded in DIKO about the choice of Neofytos Charalambidis, as they believe it weakens the party’s ticket in Limassol district. The party vice-president is considered one of DIKO’s strong cards.
Nicolas Papadopoulos, speaking in Paphos, sent a clear message: “We are here to support the implementation of the government programme.” He expressed his wish to cooperate with the new ministers because, he said, he believes implementing the government programme will move the country forwards.
DEPA expressed its support for the new ministers and highlighted its confidence in its MP, Marinos Mousiouttas, for successfully carrying out his new duties at the helm of the Labour Ministry.
Having made his decisions, Christodoulides first contacted the collaborators who will leave the government scheme: Giorgos Papanastasiou from the Commerce and Energy Ministry, Yiannis Panayiotou from the Labour Ministry, and Marilena Evangelou from the Social Welfare deputy ministry.
According to sources, they talked in a good climate, with Christodoulides thanking them for their cooperation and contribution to the government.
Christodoulides returned from his Ukraine trip around 3pm and sent a message to the leaders of cooperating parties that he would inform them about something.
He called Nicolas Papadopoulos and Marios Garoyan shortly before the reshuffle announcement was made public. He had done the same during the previous reshuffle in January 2024, when he also contacted party leaders in the governing coalition to announce his decisions.
Christodoulides kept his cards close even from people considered to belong to his close circle of government collaborators. They learnt about the presidential decisions after the Presidential Palace issued the announcement.
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