All the information converges on the finalization of the transfer of the Minister of Interior Neokli Silikiotis to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, which handles the major issue of energy and has been upgraded after the confirmation of the existence of hydrocarbons in the Cypriot EEZ. The position of Neoklis Silikiotis in the Ministry of Interior will unexpectedly be taken over by the former mayor of Nicosia, Eleni Mavrou, who is said to have been fired upon by the secretary general. of AKEL Andros Kyprianou on his way to Israel where he went participating in a mission of AKEL.
Headache is the replacement of Kiki Kazamias in the Ministry of Finance. President Christofias and AKEL, who favor the appointment of a non-partisan, seem to end up with Mr. Vassos Siarlis, First General Manager of the Bank of Cyprus Group.
Kazamia issue from January
The issue of the resignation of the Minister of Finance occupied the Presidential Palace last January, as a result of the health problems presented by Kikis Kazamias. The infection in his leg forced him to be absent from his ministerial duties for a long time. He informed the President, who in no case wanted to lose one of his most valuable associates in such a critical period of time.
The President's intense efforts persuaded Mr. Kazamias to remain in office "for as long as possible", as agreed between the two men, and at the same time the President was working on plans to be ready for a change in the Ministry of Finance, either by moving another minister or by appointment of a person outside the government.
The rupture with the Minister of Commerce
During all this time, Kikis Kazamias returned to the President the issue of his replacement, citing his health and the need for rest, as recommended by his doctors. At the same time, however, the minister was successfully carrying out the various "special missions" he undertook, with the main challenge of stopping the negative course of the economy.
And while the presidency was concerned with finding a replacement for the finance minister in case Kazamia's resignation would be a one-way street, another problem came to be added within the government due to complaints about the minister's "efficiency" (according to government sources). Of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Praxoula Antoniadou on the subject of natural gas.
This issue arose about three weeks ago and was the subject of a discussion between President Christofias and the Minister, a discussion which in fact confirmed the existence of a gap for the handling of the issue of gas and not only. The "messages of dissatisfaction" that reached the presidency for Ms. Antoniadou for handling such a serious issue, in which the government and the ruling party invest the most, acted as a catalyst against the minister, who did not hide her annoyance and said she was ready for resignation.
Following the data created by this issue, the President had taken the final decision to replace Ms. Antoniadou and in conjunction with Kazamia's insistence on leaving, he began to focus on the idea of changes in the government, which were finalized after consulting the President. with the leadership of AKEL. The announcements were to be made after a few days. However, the revelation of the presidential intentions by "Phileleftheros" on Thursday, accelerated the procedures.
The choice of persons
As head of the committee of ministers on the issue of energy but also due to the trust with which he is surrounded by the President and AKEL, Neoklis Silikiotis met the specifications for the Ministry of Commerce to handle the issue of gas, which, in addition to politics dimension, and has huge economic implications.
The same specifications were considered in the Presidency and AKEL that Eleni Mavrou meets the requirements for the Ministry of Interior, due, among other things, to her experience in local government issues and others that fall into the portfolio of the Ministry of Interior, both from her parliamentary presence and from her term as mayor of Nicosia.
Beyond that, there was - and there is - concern about the man who will succeed Kiki Kazamias in the Ministry of Finance, at a time when his moves began to correct the negative performance of government policy on economics and gained support from institutional officials. and economic factors, both in Cyprus and abroad.
The restoration of the disturbed relations of the government and AKEL with the Governor of the Central Bank, the trust with which he was surrounded by the dominant players of the banking system and of course his effective policy on many issues, with the agreement on the taxation of church property leading, This issue, which none of his predecessors could close for decades, made Kikis Kazamias necessary for the government in the last year of his term, hence the pressures for him to remain in government.
The imminent assumption of the EU Presidency and mainly the plans for the presidential elections, with the name of Kikis Kazamias being heard, among others, as an choice of AKEL in case of non-claim of re-election by President Christofias, were two of the reasons for his resignation, and even invoking reasons health exploded like a bomb causing questions with quite a dose of suspicion.
The different views of Kiki Kazamias with the President and his party on a number of issues (such as the issue of the casino), are indeed real, however, according to all information, they are not strong enough to act as a cause or as a reason for his resignation, which, like all the facts converge, has as a starting point the state of health of the Minister of Finance and the need to go abroad for treatment.
Source: KATHIMERINI