The customary presence of government officials at the commencement of the budget discussion was noticeably absent this year.
Traditionally, the Minister of Finance and other members of the government would attend the parliamentary session, listening to speeches and comments from party leaders or their representatives.
However, this time, the government completely disregarded the House of Representatives, with no minister present, not even the Minister of Finance, breaking from the tradition set by predecessors.
The two major parties, DISY and AKEL, condemned this act as a disregard and disrespect for the House of Representatives.
Nearly two hours into the session, after the incident was highlighted by philenews, the Minister of Transport, Alexis Vafeades, hurried to the Parliament.
No other ministers followed, at least not immediately. Notably, there was no official statement on the matter.
George Loucaides, the parliamentary representative of AKEL, expressed his displeasure at the absence of ministers. He argued that discussing the budget without the presence of ministers is demeaning to the House of Representatives.
He also pointed out that when the government invites MPs to the Presidential Palace for communication purposes, they attend. He emphasized the need for ministers to be present and urged the government to send a clear message.
The President of the House, Annita Demetriou, agreed with Loucaides, stating that it constitutes a disregard for the House when no minister is present during budget discussions.
She emphasized that party leaders and representatives speak, and tomorrow it’s the turn of our MPs to express their positions after the discussions in the relevant parliamentary committees. The absence of any minister, she added, constitutes disrespect for the institution.
Before beginning his speech, the president of the DIPA party, Marios Garoyian, referenced the roadblocks around the Parliament due to the measures taken for the delay. He expressed confidence that there is sensitivity, and the issue will be addressed.
Around 5:50 pm, nearly two hours after the start of the budget debate, Minister of Transport Alexis Vafeades finally arrived at the Parliament. None of his fellow ministers accompanied him.
Last year, during the budget debate, the then Minister of Finance, Konstantinos Petridis, sat for hours in the plenary hall, listening and recording the positions of the parties.
Similar stances were taken by former government officials, such as Harris Georgiades. Former government officials commenting on the recent event referred to it as “disrespect for the House.”
The absence of ministers provided a platform for the president of DISY to criticize the government intensely.
He suggested that it showed disrespect for the body, which had to take risks several times to support the government’s work.
While welcoming the presence of Alexis Vafeades, Annita Demetriou reminded the government of the importance of the House, stating that critical issues cannot be entrusted solely to the opposition.
AKEL’s Secretary-General, Stefanos Stefanou, questioned whether the “new era” referred to by Nikos Christodoulides during the elections meant ignoring the opposition.
He declared that his party would not give a vote of confidence to a government that managed to disappoint even those who voted for it in the first ten months.
The President of DIKO, Nicolas Papadopoulos, suggested during his speech that the mistakes made by President Nikos Christodoulides in these nine months were not political but errors of choice. He stated, however, that Christodoulides immediately rectified the mistakes he could.
