The request to place DIKO officials in the Ministries of Finance and Interior, in the coming reshuffle, was rejected by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, during yesterday's meeting with the party secretariat, leaving it to be understood, however, that the participation of the centrist faction in the government scheme will be increased.
In a better climate, yesterday's meeting of the DIKO secretariat with the President of the Republic took place, with the President assuring that in the coming period better ways of communication and cooperation between the government and the party will be established. Specifically, he promised that DIKO's request for better coordination will be satisfied through the scheduling of weekly meetings, which will take place on three levels. At the highest level between the President of the Republic and the president of DIKO, at the level of the Deputy Minister to the President, Irene Piki, and DIKO's parliamentary spokesman, Panikos Leonidou, and between the party's MPs and ministers.
On the matter of the reshuffle, President Christodoulides stressed that he will proceed with certain changes, in view also of the departure of the Minister of Agriculture, Maria Panayiotou, who has accepted an appointment in public education. Nevertheless, however, he made clear that he has not yet settled on the scale of the reshuffle and which ministers the changes will concern. He will need, as he said, first to inform those involved and then to enter into substantive discussion with DIKO.
The members of the DIKO secretariat, headed by Nikolas Papadopoulos, pointed out that in 2023 there was an understanding for 30% participation of the party in the Council of Ministers, which entails two ministries and two deputy ministries. They argued that today DIKO officially participates with only two ministers, who are two of the party's three vice-presidents, Michalis Damianou (Ministry of Energy) and Neophytos Charalambides (Ministry of Health). Regardless of whether they are credited with the Minister of Finance, Makis Keravnos, and the Minister of Education, Athena Michaelidou.
The information of "P" indicates that President Christodoulides showed understanding for DIKO's request for increased participation in the government scheme, after the result of the parliamentary elections, which makes it the only co-governing party in the House. He stressed, however, that he is not going to put EDEK and DIPA out of the government. Further discussion of the matter will be conducted at the level of the President of the Republic and the president of DIKO, and a list of names will be tabled on the part of Nikolas Papadopoulos. It is unknown which persons the president of DIKO has in mind, however the names being heard are those of Giorgos Solomou, Evi Tsolaki and Christos Senekis, who received a large number of votes in the elections but did not manage to be elected MPs.
The President of the Republic also showed understanding for DIKO's request regarding the appointments to the boards of the semi-governmental organisations. DIKO's argument is that party officials submit applications to the Advisory Council for political positions but are rejected on purely technocratic criteria, stressing that the boards of the semi-governmental organisations are part of the government scheme. On this matter too there appears to have been understanding on the part of President Christodoulides, who committed that he will examine the whole issue.
