Six new ministers were sworn in Tuesday after President Tassos Papadopoulos announced a major cabinet reshuffle last week, the first since he took office in March 2003. None of the eleven ministerial posts went to women.
The reshuffle follows the May 21 parliamentary elections where the president’s ruling Democratic Party (DIKO) increased its presence in the 56-seat house by two new deputies and sought more say in the coalition government.
The main coalition partner, communist AKEL, maintained its Interior Minister Andreas Christou and Transport Minister Haris Thrassou, while the president’s close friend Pefkios Georgiades remains at the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Commerce and Industry Minister Yiorgos Lillykas, initially proposed by AKEL and later gaining the confidence of the president, takes over the Foreign Ministry.
Outgoing Foreign Minister George Iacovou, the choice of the AKEL party, is widely expected to take up a diplomatic posting, probably as Cyprus High Commissioner to Britain.
Also staying on is Finance Minister Michalis Sarris whose chief priorities remain government reforms, strict budget controls and euro adoption.
The new Minister of Health is AKEL’s Haris Haralambous, Chairman of the Laikon industrial giant controlled by the party and vice president at the state-owned telecom utility CYTA.
EDEK vice president Sophocles Sophocleous replaced Doros Theodorou at Justice that has been inundated with allegations of police abuse, while Phivos Klokaris, a commonly accepted retired general takes over the Ministry of Defence, replacing EDEK’s Koullis Mavronicolas following allegations of favouritism at the Ministry in appointments and contracts.
Retaining the second EDEK seat in the new cabinet is Antonis Vassiliou who is the new Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, replacing Christos Taliadoros.
The new Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment is DIKO’s Fotis Fotiou, former chairman of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, replacing Timis Efthymiou who heads the small Free Citizens party that failed to reach the 1.8% benchmark to enter parliament.
Antonis Michaelides, also of DIKO and the Peugeot distributor in Cyprus, takes over the portfolio of Commerce, Industry and Tourism.
Christoulos Pashiardis, the Undersecretary to the President takes over the duties of Government Spokesman.
