Do you share the optimism that followed Erhurman’s victory? Which way will the Cyprus issue move?
Michalis Hadjipantela: “A sliver of hope has opened for a restart of the settlement efforts. No one can ignore Turkey’s decisive role, of course. What we take away, however, is that Turkish Cypriots, with their vote, recorded their will for reunification, against the partitionist policy pursued by Ersin Tatar. I want to believe that the new situation in the north will lead to the resumption of substantive negotiations on the basis of the agreed framework. The most important question is whether the new T/C leader can persuade Turkey to abandon the two-state idea.”
Loucas Fourlas: “It gives rise to hope, but I’m keeping my expectations modest. With Mr Erhurman’s election, hopes were born for all of us who love this place and want a solution. Expectations are modest because, unfortunately, the fate and lives of Turkish Cypriots are not determined solely by themselves. I am waiting to see to what extent Ankara will be involved in the new effort and to what extent the new T/C leader will be able to resist its designs. The Cyprus issue can only be solved if there is will on both sides. I believe that on our side there is a will on a basis that allows for a functional and viable state within the EU.”
Georgios Georgiou: “Hope is reborn because the result reflects the Turkish Cypriots’ overall will for a solution on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation. We must be cautious because Mr Erhurman will be talking to Mr Erdogan on foreign-policy matters. On the other hand, Mr Christodoulides, facing an easy opponent in Mr Tatar, could convince people that he wanted a solution, and that we should start again from where we left off at Crans-Montana, in line with UN resolutions. We will see whether what is being said by the president indeed holds. In general, though, a prospect is opening up.”
Costas Mavrides: “What the new T/C leader seems to represent is very different from the two-state policy we had before us, an approach that inevitably led to stagnation and dead-end. On the other hand, extreme positions that hint at or explicitly target the president, portraying him as identical to Tatar, are trite and dangerous. It is also up for discussion whether Mr Erhurman can deviate from Ankara’s policies. I believe strong pressure on Turkey is needed to achieve the desired outcome.”
The political landscape and new parties
How do you assess the political scene with the emergence of new parties? Have citizens lost trust in the traditional parties?
Michalis Hadjipantela: “Traditional parties are a guarantee of stability. Citizens are free to choose whomever they want to represent them, but we should learn from other countries, such as Greece, when they experimented with various leaders. The same happened in the UK, which exited the EU and has now realised what a big mistake that was. It is easy to pose as anti-systemic, but what happens if such parties govern? This phenomenon will be tested. When it fails, people will return to the traditional parties.”
Loucas Fourlas: “There is indeed a crisis of confidence in traditional parties. I do not nullify their contribution, but the distance between society and parties has widened. This is not only a Cypriot phenomenon; we see it across Europe. Citizens seek new solutions, sometimes right, sometimes not. I myself am a product of this search. I did not come from a party apparatus; I came from society, with a record of work that was recognised. There are worthy people in all parties, so a citizen who wants to react can do so through a conscious choice.”
Georgios Georgiou: “There are reasons for the levelling of politics. Corruption and impunity, on which some score points from the far right, as well as newly minted ‘politicians’. I’m not claiming everything is fine with the parties. I’m not saying what needed to be done has been done. But as a party we took on board the message of the European elections. We have made constitutional changes and are taking daily initiatives on many burning issues. We have weaknesses and we make mistakes, but I reject the levelling. I hope we do not end up with a parliament that cannot produce work or that turns into a political circus.”
Costas Mavrides: “I do not dispute the lack of trust in the political system, particularly in centrist parties. A huge discontent that in the past may have translated into abstention has, in recent years, appeared as support for newly emerged parties. I see two core problems facing parties. One is purely political: there is a lack of trust in certain policies. The second is communicative: parties have fallen behind in how they approach citizens to convey their messages.”
Housing and the younger generation
A recent survey found that young people in Cyprus are the unhappiest in Europe. This stems from many factors, including the housing crisis and the cost of living. How can the situation be improved?
Michalis Hadjipantela: “There are ways via the EU. The EIB is ready to finance the 1,000 dorms at the University of Cyprus, a thousand apartments in Nicosia available to students at a very low cost. The same bank is willing, via the Cyprus Land Development Corporation (KOAG), to allocate many millions to build apartment blocks for vulnerable groups and young couples who would pay low rents. I believe the state must move faster, secure these funds and provide affordable housing especially to the younger generation.”
Loucas Fourlas: “The housing market has become unaffordable in many European countries, which are trying to tackle the phenomenon in various ways. In the UK, the state buys half the house and then takes its share as the loan is repaid. There are solutions, but in a small country like Cyprus, where the home is something deeper, tied to family and identity, there must be coordinated action. How can a young person be mentally well when they cannot have a child, get a home, move forward?”
Georgios Georgiou: “Many young people, including my children, want to leave Cyprus for abroad because of a lack of meritocracy, good pay and opportunities. There are scandals that go unpunished, high prices, wage disparities, social divisions and discrimination. From our side we have taken initiatives to support the middle classes; initiatives against foreclosures, on the environment, the cost of living, electricity, medicines and against the banks’ authoritarianism.”
Costas Mavrides: “Through the recovery and resilience mechanism, four years ago I negotiated the EU’s largest financing tool for housing, enabling member states to draw down funds. Cyprus did not draw a single euro. So we can take measures. I also propose creating the seat of a European agency in Cyprus, which means thousands of jobs. Not all of them will be filled by people from Cyprus, but many will earn high salaries that will flow into our economy.”