President Nikos Christodoulides said he expects to be criticised during his term, but never on matters of transparency or corruption. Speaking in an interview with Plus TV, he underlined:
“Zero tolerance for corruption. I want to say that when the Cypriot people decide I will no longer be President, what matters most to me is to leave as I came, with clean hands.”
Strengthening Law Enforcement against financial crime
The President announced that constitutional amendments are being promoted to strengthen the powers of the authorities in tackling economic crime.
“We are moving ahead with changes to specific articles of the Constitution, which will go before the Council of Ministers in the next two weeks. This will give greater powers to the investigative authorities; the Police, MOKAS, the Tax Commissioner, Customs, all the agencies of the Republic. There is now a Task Force, and it is delivering results,” he said.
Christodoulides noted that his decision to invite the FBI to Cyprus had drawn criticism. “It annoyed some, to the point that they went to the Americans to voice their concerns, believing the US Government would not inform me. They were upset because they thought they could continue without strict oversight, without American assistance,” he said.
He stressed that in the past, serious crimes were investigated without ever addressing their economic dimension. “How can someone drive a car worth €100,000 but declare a salary of €1,000 a month? We never cross-checked such things. That is why the Task Force is important, and the Cypriot authorities themselves acknowledged the need for it. The help of the Americans was significant,” he added.
Tax reform after 23 years
Christodoulides highlighted the government’s decision to pursue the first major tax reform in 23 years.
“Its priority is to support Cypriot businesses,” he said, pointing to the reduction of the defence tax from 17% to 5%. “We want to support Cypriot companies, because this is one of the most business-friendly governments. A second priority is families and the middle class, which remain the backbone of the Cypriot economy and society.”
Local government changes
The President also announced an initiative to reduce the number of deputy mayors in areas where their numbers are disproportionate.
He criticised the local government reform introduced by the previous administration, saying it had served political expediencies at the expense of citizens.
“I cannot have 12, 13 or 14 deputy mayors in a small area and only three or four in Nicosia. Parliament made changes for expediencies, and at the end of the day the Cypriot people are paying for it. So we will move ahead with changes, and I hope Parliament will respond,” he said.
“A centre-right Government with clear ideological direction”
Christodoulides described his administration as “a centre-right government, implementing an election programme based on social liberalism, that is, a free economy.”
He argued that the government’s economic performance allows for a targeted social policy.
“We have clear differences with AKEL, which is fully respected. We have a completely different ideology in foreign policy and in the economy. Our social liberalism is the government’s social dimension. I believe this government represents the majority of the Cypriot people; DISY, DIKO, DIPA, EDEK, and the Greens on many issues,” he said.
The President added that in 2.5 years, more than 50% of the election programme has been implemented, along with measures not originally included.
He cited the creation of the Secretariat for Monitoring Government Work and stressed the importance of public accountability: “I expose myself to criticism by going before the people and saying what I will do in the coming year. My election programme is on my desk every day. Every Friday I review what has been achieved, and I am pleased because the results of our policies are now visible.”
CNA