Frixos Dalitis
The reshuffle chapter reopens at the Presidential Palace with President Anastasiadis appearing to be gearing up by the end of the month. A move that was more or less expected to take place sometime after the parliamentary elections and regardless of the result of the ballot box. The messages from the result of the night of May 30 cannot be left out of the balance sheet of the government act in relation to the moves that will be made. Which do not differ from the general philosophy on which they want to move Presidential and Pindarou in view of the continuation, both inside and outside Parliament.
As we are informed, the intention of President Anastasiadis is to proceed with a partial reorganization of the Council of Ministers, with the intention of vaccinating the Government with people coming from beyond the area of the Democratic Alarm. Basically, the philosophy of creating a government of wider acceptance with the participation of people from opposition parties or people who belong ideologically to another area but do not have a strict party identity. As well as personalities of wider acceptance in the context of a wider consensus and cooperation on hot issues that are of great concern to society.
SEE ALSO: “No” Andros says to an ecumenical government
For example, the issue of the pandemic, which may not be on the rise at the moment, is not over yet. Beyond that, however, all information converges on the fact that Health Minister Konstantinos Ioannou is leaving the government. The change of baton in the Ministry of Health is required as it is done with a person who will receive a wider appreciation and acceptance in society, as there is discomfort due to the occasional restraint measures announced to deal with the spread of the pandemic, the lockdowns that caused and reactions from citizens and various professional groups. In this context, the name of the outgoing Speaker of Parliament and MP of the new forces of AKEL Adamos Adamos was circulated by some circles, who is leaving the Parliament and had the support of all political forces, except ELAM for election to the Presidency of the Parliament after the resignation of Sillouris. Such a scenario would be ideal for President Anastasiadis, but it is not the easiest thing to do.
From there, the line that the government camp wants to move, wanting to build bridges, is clear. The degree to which it will succeed will also depend on the degree of response of the other parties. The President threw down the gauntlet on election night, declaring that he would begin a cycle of contacts with all political forces. Government and Pindarou want to move in a line that will allow them to create collaborations within Parliament in view of the critical government bills that will go to Parliament such as the reform of Justice, Public Service and Local Government.
The degree of response to the Government's call for wider cooperation at the governmental level does not take the issue of the Presidency of the Parliament out of the picture, as the willingness of political forces to go beyond the consensus will be a sample in this direction. The candidacy of Annita Dimitriou has all the characteristics to be able to gather wider support, in the context of the general understanding and cooperation sought by the Government.
Chronologically, any announcements will be made in two to three weeks, starting with the appointment of the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare. The extent of the restructuring will also depend on the general context of the collaborations that will take place. But there are certainly some ministers who are taken for granted, such as Labor Minister Zeta Emiliandiou and Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulidis. There is no question for the Minister of Finance Konstantinos Petridis either. The possibility of a change of Nikos Nouris in the Ministry of Interior and Natasa Pileidou in the Ministry of Energy is considered remote, while it will be very difficult to change the Ministry of Defense with Charalambos Petridis and the Ministry of Communications with Giannis Karousos. The remaining ministers are Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis, Education Minister Prodromos Petridis and Justice Minister Emily Giolitis, as well as Government Spokesman Kyriakos Kousios and Deputy Government Spokesman Panagiotis Sentonas. However, apart from the given, as reported by the information, departure of the Minister of Health Konstantinos Ioannou, all scenarios are open. The information states that the President has not yet reached the final list of changes he intends to make. Not excluded even surprises in the final remodeling.
“No discussion” by AKEL and DIKO
The possibility of a government reshuffle by vaccinating people from the entire political spectrum will not include AKEL, which has already hastened to clarify that there is no question of its participation in a government formation under Nikos Anastasiadis. AKEL Secretary General Andros Kyprianou, who was yesterday a guest on ANT1's noon news program, said that the creation of an ecumenical government under President Anastasiadis presupposes the existence of common priorities on a number of issues, which does not exist. In this context, the secretary general of AKEL made it clear that we are not going to see the participation of executives of the Left party in an ecumenical government under Nikos Anastasiadis.
Asked to comment on the possibility of participation in an ecumenical government of persons from the New Forces, who collaborated with AKEL, and in particular the rumors about a proposal for Adamos Adamou to take over the Ministry of Health, Andros Kyprianou replied that he did not know, noting “If someone who has been with AKEL for decades now decides to go with Mr. Anastiadis, he will be judged by the people.”
“AKEL will not participate in the Anastasiadis government”, Andros Kyprianou repeated in the end.
DIKO also rejects the possibility of participating in a government formation under Nikos Anastasiadis. According to information, the possibility is not even discussed, even if any move is made by the government camp.
Semi-state and EDY in the frame
The question surrounding the move to form a government of wider acceptance is which political forces could participate in it and under what conditions. AKEL and DIKO certainly come out of this equation, which in fact will not respond to the call. In the case of the Democratic Party, there could be a suitable ground in the context of good cooperation with the participation in the Government in the past of people close to it. As far as EDEK is concerned, things are more complicated. In relation to ELAM, there will certainly be no question of its participation in the Government. However, a move is not ruled out for Solidarity executives who did not secure parliamentary representation in the last elections. What should be taken into account is the fact that from July we will have a new Board of Directors of Semi-Governmental Organizations and a new Council of the Public Service Committee (EDY). The new appointments will be part of the general framework of the changes that the Government wants to make.
