With the decision of the extraordinary conference to support the candidacy of Andreas Mavroyiannis, AKEL enters the election race. How independent can the candidacy of Mavroyiannis be when he has been supported by your party before he even announced his candidacy?
Whether a candidacy is independent or not is not judged by when or how a candidate announces but by his previous life, his overall presence and credibility. Andreas Mavroyiannis was a close associate of Tassos Papadopoulos, served as Deputy Minister under Christofias during Cyprus' presidency of the European Union, and for the last nine years has been the negotiator for our side. He has a proven ability to work with different forces, to synthesise views, to bridge positions. He has the experience and the ability to govern. That is precisely why he is a winning candidate. Independent does not mean he has no positions and positioning. He is the candidate of the forces of change and the progressive space. The two other main candidates, Averof Neophytou and Christodoulides, are candidates who want to continue the DISY-Anastasiades government; they are the president and a member of Synagerimos, who as a government spokesman defended Anastasiades for years. Christodoulides' statement that this government is not corrupt says a lot. For all these reasons the candidacy of Andreas Mavroyiannis can and should be supported, in our opinion, by the other opposition parties, DIKO, EDEK, Hellenic People's Party, EPP and those citizens who believe that the country needs a real Change.
Do you expect support for Mavroyiannis' candidacy from other political forces in the first round?
Of course. It is the most logical thing to support an independent opposition candidate. What is difficult to justify is the support of opposition parties for candidates who proclaim that they will continue the DISY-Anastasiades government, such as Averof-Christodoulides. And from political forces and from social forces and from ordinary citizens who believe in Change. Change is needed, among other things, to prevent the entrenchment of establishment attitudes and for the democratic alternation to work.
Will the candidate's positions and election programme belong to the candidate himself, or will it be co-formulated with AKEL?
The election programme will be the programme of governance of Andreas Mavroyiannis. He is formulating it himself, using experts and positions - proposals of organised groups, including AKEL.
The ruling party speaks of an attempt to square the circle, of the fact that AKEL is seeking change with what was until recently a close associate of the president of the republic.
AKEL is seeking change by backing an independent candidate who represents the progressive space and has a proven ability to be a very good president, having served his country from many crucial posts over the past 20 years. The negotiator of the Greek Cypriot side is not related to the government. So by the same token, why not say that Anastasiades chose a Christofias Deputy Minister as his negotiator? In the past two negotiators (Clerides and Papadopoulos) became presidents of the Cypriot republic. This is not accidental because being a negotiator requires a lot of critical capabilities. The truth is that Andreas Mavroyiannis is an independent candidate who expresses the need for change, who has proven potential and proven ability to unite the forces and citizens who seek change. What is at stake?
The real dilemma in these elections is whether the current unacceptable governance will continue with either Averof Neophytou or Nikos Christodoulides, or whether there will finally be Change with the election of Andreas Mavroyiannis. A progressive change that reflects the vast majority of citizens who are fed up with the current unacceptable situation, that will end corruption, support the common man, substantially improve education and health and prevent the dangers for Cyprus by opening a window of opportunity in the Cyprus problem. The stakes are Change or continuation of the present government.
Accuracy seems to be hitting the citizens and a difficult situation is taking shape. What is your approach?
Accuracy today is the most serious issue in the daily lives of citizens. We have discussed this issue many times in the Finance Committee of the House of Representatives. The problem in Cyprus is bigger than the rest of Europe because our government does not want to take on the big interests that speculate at the expense of the people and obscenity. We have tabled specific proposals such as the reduction of VAT on electricity and the legislative proposals that are currently being discussed to abolish the double taxation on fuel and extend the government's ability to impose a cap on fuel. We have also tabled specific proposals to support the grassroots after the accuracy has seriously reduced the purchasing value of wages, benefits and pensions. Unfortunately, however, this government and the philosophy it expresses are neither willing nor able to deal with precision.
On the Cyprus issue, do you see conditions being created for a resumption of dialogue before the end of President Anastasiades' term of office or is it more likely that the new president will take over?
The situation on the Cyprus issue is truly tragic. Famagusta is about to be lost for good, Turkey has made our EEZ a sieve, the notorious sanctions from the European Union never came and Turkey is marching around unmolested threatening Cyprus and Greece. I am very worried that Turkey is preparing a serious crisis in the Aegean and Cyprus with the aim of creating new fait accompli. Turkey is unacceptable and provocative and it is against this Turkey that for the first time we have so many collective failures from the Anastasiades - Christodoulides - Averoff administration. They described the opening of Famagusta as a 'communication firework'. They told us that 'sanctions are coming that will hurt Turkey'. They told us that 'our EEZ is shielded'. A foreign policy for years that has taken us from failure to failure. Incompetence and misguided policies are unfortunately paid dearly by all of us. In this context, I do not see any serious attempt at meaningful dialogue until 2023. Instead, what is needed is a competent and experienced president who can handle the situation to avert the risks from Turkey and try to create a window of opportunity.
Is Turkey motivated to move towards a solution? Do you see any prospects for that?
What is missing today is a comprehensive plan from our side on how to move towards a solution including what incentives or pressures we will create for Turkey. It is not enough just to say what it will do at the negotiating table, but because solutions to such complex issues are imposed by geostrategic and economic interests, among others, it is important to know how to operate at this level as well. Andreas Mavroyiannis has the experience, the international credibility and the international reach to do this. Don't forget that he was recently elected to one of the most important international commissions operating worldwide, the UN International Law Commission.
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
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