By This post is also available in: ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (GREEK) TÜRKÇE (TURKISH)
Whether one agreed with Keti Clerides or not, one couldn’t help but acknowledge her courage in expressing her views without caring whether they would be well received.
At a time when the prevailing consensus was that “the only good Turk is a dead Turk” and “the only good Greek is a dead Greek”, she believed that channels of communication had to be found between the two sides.
This conviction shaped her entire course in public life, effectively pushing her to the margins. Yet she never watered down her wine to be palatable or to remain in the spotlight.
And whilst everyone else was exploiting her father’s name, she carried him within her—as every child carries their parent—without attempting to use him for any personal advantage.
Unlike other descendants, not only in Cyprus but in Greece too, Keti Clerides never saw the party her father founded as a family asset.
She didn’t claim the ring of succession and confined herself to what the electoral processes allowed her. And when everyone else was invoking the famous Clerides line, she kept her distance.
When there was almost idolatry surrounding everything to do with Glafcos Clerides (material or immaterial, from his boat to his ideas), she was never swept up in populist fervour but maintained her rationalism.
All of this, whilst she was alive, made her unpopular. Her relations with Turkish Cypriots, even learning Turkish as a step towards rapprochement, were despicable acts—particularly for people within her own party.
In the last presidential elections, she didn’t hesitate to take a stand and exchange harsh words with the outgoing president of the Republic, accusing him squarely of corruption.
“Our country is small; we all know things and situations, and sometimes, when it suits us, we hide them. But I believe that everyone’s life and conduct is an open book in Cyprus, and I don’t think I need to comment further,” she declared, amongst other things.
This last public statement evidently made her even more unpopular within the party and with many others. But since yesterday, upon hearing of her death, everyone has been singing the praises of her contribution to the nation’s affairs, her courage, her dignity, and the principles and values she championed. As is customary, it would seem.
This article was first published on 07.10.2025
