President Nikos Christodoulides announced a Cabinet reshuffle late on Tuesday afternoon, adding three new ministers and giving the government a stronger party-political and centre-right stamp. He confirmed earlier reports by opting for political appointments over technocrats for the final stretch of his five-year term, a move that appears aimed at building support ahead of 2028 as he seeks a renewed mandate.
Two of the three new ministers come from DIKO and one from the DISY sphere. Irene Poyiatzis was separately appointed Commissioner for Citizens’ Rights.
Alexis Vafeades, Maria Panayiotou and Vasiliki Kassianidou are leaving the government.
Pavlou moves to welfare, Charalambides stays at health
Tina Pavlou, who had been at the centre of the government’s clash with DISY, takes over the Deputy Ministry of Welfare rather than the Health Ministry, as had initially been rumoured. Neophytos Charalambides remains at the Ministry of Health. According to information gathered by Phileleftheros, President Christodoulides faced strong pushback in recent days from health sector bodies opposed to moving Charalambides to the Ministry of Transport, a scenario that had leaked the previous Friday. Patient associations also objected, with some voicing their opposition publicly on social media.
Separately, Clea Papaellina moves from the Deputy Ministry of Welfare to the Deputy Ministry of Culture, replacing Vasiliki Kassianidou, a move that had also been reported in advance.
DIKO expands its cabinet footprint
Evi Tsolaki and Christos Senekis are the two DIKO appointees. Because Charalambides stayed at Health and Pavlou was ultimately appointed to the Deputy Ministry of Welfare, Tsolaki took the Transport portfolio instead. Senekis replaces Panayiotou at the Ministry of Agriculture, a move that had been broadly expected given days of prior leaks.
DIKO now holds four ministerial posts: Tsolaki at Transport, Senekis at Agriculture, Charalambides at Health and Michalis Damianos at Energy, an outcome that should broadly satisfy the party leadership. It had already been known that there would be no changes at the Ministries of Finance or Interior, as DIKO leader Nicolas Papadopoulos had requested. Papadopoulos sent congratulations to the new ministers, writing: “Congratulations to the new ministers and we wish every success to the new cabinet.” He added that the challenges ahead call for unity, collective effort and decisiveness.
Elias Myrianthous, a former EDEK MP, was appointed Commissioner for the Environment and Animal Welfare, replacing Antonia Theodosiou. This gives EDEK a second Commissioner role, though it will no longer hold a Cabinet seat, a development to which the party’s reaction is being closely watched.
Poyiatzis takes over as Commissioner for Citizens’ Rights
Irene Poyiatzis was appointed Commissioner for Citizens’ Rights, replacing Panayiotis Palates, who becomes Director of the Office of the President. Poyiatzis is considered to come from the DISY sphere, with President Christodoulides seen as keen to maintain ties to DISY-aligned voters.
No change at Deputy Ministry of Tourism
Tuesday’s announcement confirmed that Kostas Koumis would not be reshuffled and remains at the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, following the collapse of an earlier plan involving Christos Angelides. According to information gathered by Phileleftheros, rumours of Koumis’s departure from the Cabinet had triggered a strong reaction from local officials and tourism businesses, particularly in the free Famagusta area, and these objections reached the Presidential Palace and appear to have been decisive in keeping him in post. It is not the first time Koumis’s name has featured in reshuffle speculation, but the president has again chosen not to replace him.
