Olive Pitts
Small, Sharp & Bitter
Katie Cleridou: A quiet force of integrity
A kind and refined soul, Katie Cleridou brought dignity, intellect and quiet strength to public life. Honest, humble and principled, though such qualities rarely win popularity contests. Even within DISY, she was never among the favourites at the ballot box, despite her long and faithful service in Parliament.
Her political journey began in 1986 as Nicosia municipal councillor with DISY, followed by election to Parliament in 1991, becoming the third woman MP in Cyprus after Rina Katselli and Claire Angelidou. She was re-elected in 1996, and re-entered the House in 2004 after Panayiotis Demetriou moved to the European Parliament.
She stood beside her father Glafcos and Nicos Anastasiades in supporting the Annan Plan, and later backed Anastasiades in 2013, believing he would pursue a settlement. By 2018, she had seen through his moves at Crans-Montana. In 2023, realising he was backing Christodoulides, she spoke out publicly, questioning his integrity and political ethics.
Anastasiades did attend her funeral this week, perhaps out of remorse, fear of backlash or simply because, sometimes, he still manages an honourable gesture.
Trouble at ALMA
The old question returns: will ALMA be a leap forward or a jump into the void?
Party co-founder Andreas Hasapopoulos, once Odysseas’s right-hand man, is now pulling the strings. Odysseas used him for the dirty work and then discarded him like a squeezed lemon.
Hasapopoulos has reason to be bitter. He ran the “Support Odysseas” Facebook page, which launched constant attacks on critics, leading to dozens of libel suits. Facebook eventually removed the page for hate speech, but not before Odysseas’s sister and son had posted there, something later cited by the Attorney-General before the Supreme Court in the case that led to his dismissal.
Even after the page was rebranded “Anti-Corruption Network,” the tone remained toxic. Hasapopoulos told Alpha TV that Odysseas personally approved what went up or came down, an admission that validates the Supreme Court’s decision to remove him.
Now, as a self-styled party leader rather than state official, Odysseas wants armies of loyal followers rather than disciplined auditors. But his new recruits want nothing to do with Hasapopoulos, whose court record precedes him, so Odysseas cast him aside.
Poetic justice, perhaps. He will now experience the smear campaigns he once unleashed on others. And when Hasapopoulos talks about Odysseas, he knows what he’s saying. They did it together.
Video-recorded rape in prison and silence
Can it be true that a video of an inmate’s rape exists, is in the hands of the authorities and nothing is being done? That’s what some claim, rushing to attack Attorney-General George Savvides.
Facts first:
- The victim was moved out of the Central Prisons, first to Kokkinotrimithia, then to a secure rural house.
- The Attorney-General sent three letters to his lawyer, Lito Kariolou, most recently this week.
- The Legal Service remains in coordination with police, providing written directions twice so far.
If chaos reigns inside the prisons, responsibility lies with the prison administration and wardens, not the Legal Service. If phones circulate freely, and orders are given to torch registries or plan killings from behind bars, someone in charge must answer for it.
Instead, critics target the Attorney-General and Deputy Chief Katsounotos, among the few who at least tried to find out what was happening, while the prison director was busy giving interviews to Netflix and storing classified files at a warden’s home.
UNFICYP cuts: Cyprus least affected
The UN’s decision to cut 25% of global peacekeeping staff will have limited impact on Cyprus. UNFICYP will shrink by about 15%, roughly 34 personnel.
This is because Nicosia and Athens fund nearly half of UNFICYP’s costs, so the reductions will be proportionate.
The bigger loss will be at the UN Good Offices Mission, which faces a 30% cut and may be dissolved entirely if talks remain frozen, shifting activities to a New York-based unit.
Cyprus is focused on keeping UNFICYP, not the Good Offices. Turkish Cypriots, meanwhile, remain in political isolation. As for Tatar, he shrugs: “Turkey recognises us, and Azerbaijan will too.”
Nepotism complaint hits presidential circle
A complaint has surfaced about the President’s cousin, a TEPAK council member and newly promoted professor now based in Paphos. He was reportedly credited with six DRASE hours while assigning the same to another teacher at his school.
Each school gets six funded hours under DRASE, an EU co-financed scheme offering free tutoring and creative activities in 96 schools. Assistants work 14 hours, six of which are for DRASE. So will the President’s cousin now teach just eight?
Ankara’s subtle game in the north
Turkish ambassador Ali Murat Başçeri is not campaigning for Tatar as aggressively as he once fought Akinci. Ankara still prefers Tatar, its compliant man, but won’t risk open hostility toward Tufan Erhürman, who supports a federal solution but maintains good ties with Turkey.
The soft backing may not be enough to erase Erhürman’s six-point lead. But even if he wins, he’ll need to convince Erdoğan that a bizonal, bicommunal federation serves Turkey’s interests. If he fails, he’ll find his hands tied, as the north remains wholly dependent on Ankara.
Another “excellent” appointment
President Christodoulides has welcomed yet another of his “best of the best” to the Presidential Palace: a former brigadier, top graduate, sword of honour winner and reputedly an excellent runner – a quality he proved beyond doubt during the election campaign.