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A large crowd in the square of the village of Fiti in the Paphos district welcomed the independent candidate for the presidency of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, on Friday evening, August 12.
With great enthusiasm, according to an announcement by the candidate's staff, residents of the community of Fiti and the villages of the wider area, were massively present at the event in support of the independent candidacy of Nikos Christodoulides.
Mr. Christodoulides was addressed by the mayor of Fiti Kyriakos Sotiriou and the president of the Fiti expatriates Kyriakos Protopapas.
"We are all here joining forces, because through an independent, collective effort, we can clearly better achieve our common goals, to face the challenges we face" said Mr. Christodoulides. Christodoulides, adding that
"I am not here to divide, I am not here to make a divisive speech, I am not here to draw dividing lines. We are here people from all parties, unaffiliated, young voters, and this is the first great success of our effort," he said, adding that the country has suffered a lot from polarization, meaningless disagreements and name-calling.
Christodoulides also noted that the blackmail, threats and practices of the past, of yesterday and other states are methods that will never be used by him, adding that he will not blackmail anyone for his vote, nor will he threaten anyone for his choices.
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In relation to what has been reported in recent days about the debates, Mr. Christodoulides said that he read with regret relevant posts by former colleagues in the Council of Ministers, which he considered to have been made without the knowledge of the President of the Republic. "I will not judge them, I will not answer, I leave them to the judgment of the Cypriot people. As I had consciously chosen to listen to the citizens first, to listen to their concerns and then to prepare my programme, so now, in the same way, I will first present my programme to society, visiting all of free Cyprus" he said, adding that this is his priority and this is what he will focus on at this stage.
Developing specific proposals on a number of issues such as Health, Education, Migration and Economy, Mr. Christodoulides noted that the ongoing crises of the last decade, which have affected the backbone of Cypriot society, the middle class, have also caused a crisis of credibility between the state and the citizen, between society and politicians.
"We must redefine the relationship between the state and the citizen through the renewal of procedures, attitudes and concrete actions that have people at the centre."
He also noted that "I am not one of those who invest in fear and present themselves as saviours or messiahs. I believe in strong teams, in a clear vision and hard work. I believe in a state that has a leading role and offers equal opportunities to its citizens," he said.
More specifically with regard to the countryside, Christodoulides referred to the great potential that exists, noting the need for support with infrastructure, services and job prospects.
Finally, Nikos Christodoulides, thanking the attendees for their massive presence, asked them to intensify their efforts, always with dignity, with full respect for any different views and away from divisive approaches.
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