By ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (GREEK) TÜRKÇE (TURKISH)
Andreas Mavroyiannis has not yet announced his candidacy, as other independent candidates have done – for example, Achilleas Demetriades, Marios Eliades, George Kolokasides. Andreas Mavroyiannis resigned from the position of Negotiator, after AKEL gave him the green light to do so, encouraging him that he will be their candidate. Stefanos Stefanou, of course, said it differently: “Yes, we met, but after he resigned” – to confirm the tradition in this country, whereby even the simplest of things become complex and ridiculous. Andreas Mavroyiannis is waiting for the AKEL party base to approve him – he is the sole contender, will he come second? I do not think so – to announce his candidacy. Which will be independent! AKEL-backed, but independent.
For once, however, and unlike all others who advise presidential candidates to focus on their proposals and highlight their political advantages, I suggest: Leave aside the comme il faut attitudes and feel free to express yourselves. I’m sure we will draw more honest conclusions about who each of you is, than with the camouflaged meek style, the saviour halo and compositions about your ideas.
By the way, I cannot hide from you my concern regarding the case of Ioannis Kasoulides. And I am referring to the great effort by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to appear – in fact, even before Christodoulides’ plagiarism – more royal than the king in the attacks and characterisations against his former colleague and associate, without any pretexts or elementary political culture. And I note this, given the relationship between them and all the public praise that Ioannis Kasoulides had heaped on Nikos Christodoulides. What’s up with him then?
On the other hand though, why should Ioannis Kasoulides restrain himself? Not even the noble, independent candidate of AKEL restrained himself here. Poems, however, should not necessarily haunt us. As long as we do not forget them, like Phlebas the Phoenician, forgot the cry of the gulls and the swelling of the deep sea. Especially in times of tension and toxicity, like an election period. One of the favorites of, say, the former negotiator is that of Elytis, who says: “Inscribe yourself someplace any way you can and later erase yourself again with generosity.” He hunts and is being hunted. He knows what he is doing…
Nikos Christodoulides, due to the plagiarism blunder, during the official announcement of his candidacy, was caught between a rock and a hard place. [Translator’s note: Reference to allegations that when announcing his candidacy for the 2023 elections, Christodoulides plagiarised Kasoulides’ own candidacy announcement in 2008]. His staff tried to contain the damage, which was a double-edged sword while the immediate dismissal of the PR consultant, who was blamed for the whole matter, was deemed to be the most painless action. Without the candidate himself having to apologise – as if every invisible communications specialist is accountable to the citizens – or claim that he was set up, which would leave him more exposed.
The difficulty however, exhibited by DIKO in deciding to support Christodoulides, is not so much due to the different voices that exist in the party, but mainly to the time period agreed on between the announcement of the latter and the declaration of support by the former. This, in order to remove (!) from DISY any arguments about a predetermined decision and being an “opposition candidate”.
Not that there are no opposing voices, or that they are not being bullied. The fact is, however, that half the party is already working for Nikos Christodoulides. And when we say working, we mean, giving… “all they’ve got“, just as Nikolas Papadopoulos did in 2013 for George Lillikas. That was before, of course, he decided a few years later that “his previous political life did not allow him to give lessons in political ethics.” And so? Life has two doors, this one, only one.
For the time being, it seems that everyone has set out to make easier the difficult task of Averof Neophytou. The government was not corrupt, notes Christodoulides, the president did the right thing in Crans-Montana, emphasises Mavroyiannis…
Of course, what appears to be a “good climate” in public is nothing but… a crooked vine, which will soon be eaten by the donkey – as soon as the pre-election heat picks up. You do remember, I suppose, Christofias who, when he had decided to become Caliph in place of the Caliph, in order not to frighten, as he later confessed, the AKELites, stated that … if he were in Tassos’ shoes, he would have done the same as Tassos did. It was not until later that he remembered his mistakes and shortcomings…
Elefthera, 29.5.2022.
Source: IN THE END, WE WILL ALSO FORGET WHAT WE KNOW
