The meeting scheduled for today, on the initiative of the President of the Democratic Alarm Averof Neophytou, for the exchange of views on the occupied municipalities does not seem to yield results. The aim is to reach an agreement between all forces for consensual choices in the nine occupied municipalities.
In his letter to the political leaders, Averof Neophytou emphasized the peculiarity of the occupied municipalities and stressed that it would be useful for them to find consensual solutions so as not to become the subject of conflict. DISY said it was ready for dialogue.
Developments in the interim leave no room for optimism, as many have already shown interest in anointing the candidate, either with or without party support. The fear of the guerrillas that may torpedo any attempt of the parties for common choices reinforces the negative climate. The disease in the municipality of Kyrenia seems to be becoming a lesson for the parties. In the previous municipal elections, all parties jointly supported the candidate of EDEK in the occupied city of Praxandros, to elect Glafkos Karyolou, who had been supported by the Ecologists, as elected by the citizens of Kyrenia.
In addition, however, there are intense concerns about the distribution that took place in previous matches. The Municipality of Kyrenia is claimed by both DIKO and EDEK. DIKO because it no longer has a member of parliament in this occupied province and EDEK because its leadership believes that it expresses the public feeling of the displaced with its positions in the Cyprus issue.
AKEL is claiming the occupied municipality of Famagusta and has no intention of backing down this time, with doctor Simos Ioannou emerging as the most dominant for the candidate's anointing.
The occupied municipalities are: Famagusta, Kyrenia, Morphou, Lysis, Lapithos, Karavas, Lefkoniko, Kythrea and Akanthou. Most mayors will run for re-election. Famagusta Mayor Alexis Galanos reportedly has second thoughts. The mayors of Lysis Symeon Pastos and Lefkonikos Michalis Pelikos will not claim re-election. Kyrenia Mayor Glafkos Karyolou, Akanthos Mayor Savvas Savvidis, Karava Mayor Ioannis Papaioannou, Kythrea Mayor Dr. Petros Kareklas, Mayor Lapithos Moppos Neoptos and Lapithaos Neoptos will claim re-election.
Source: Liberal