Nicosia, Cyprus. Reports said a letter from Diko leader Nicholas Papadopoulos to President Nikos Christodoulides seeking a meeting on a possible cabinet reshuffle led the government to postpone Wednesday’s cabinet meeting by one day. The government had announced on Tuesday that the meeting would move from its usual Wednesday morning slot to Thursday without giving an official reason.
Letter published by Politis
On Wednesday morning, newspaper Politis published an image of a letter sent by Papadopoulos to Christodoulides and dated Tuesday. In the letter, Papadopoulos requested a meeting between the party leadership and the president “at your earliest convenience”.
The letter said the meeting should focus on “the possible cabinet reshuffle”, “the forthcoming appointments to the boards of semi-state organisations in view of the end of the incumbent members’ terms”, and “the way in which the governance agreement works and the cooperation between us”.
Reshuffle rumours after elections
Rumours of a cabinet reshuffle have circulated since May’s parliamentary elections, in which two parties supporting Christodoulides, Dipa and Edek, lost all their seats in the House.
The two parties currently control three ministries. Labour Minister Marinos Mousiouttas and Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas belong to Dipa, while Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou belongs to Edek.
Diko’s position in parliament
Diko, which holds eight seats in parliament, is now the only government-supporting party represented in the legislature. Reports said this may strengthen its position within the current government.
This position may also be reinforced after Disy and its leader Annita Demetriou chose to stand for and win the House presidency rather than exchange the post for Diko’s support for her expected 2028 presidential campaign.
Current cabinet balance
At present, three ministries are held by Diko. Finance Minister Makis Keravnos, Energy Minister Michael Damianos, and Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides belong to the party.
So far, Christodoulides has declined to comment publicly on the prospect of a cabinet reshuffle. Last month, he said he had “no comment” to make on the matter.