Disy appoints Michalis Persianis to shadow cabinet resilience portfolio

Nicosia, Cyprus. Disy president Annita Demetriou on Monday appointed former fiscal council chairman Michalis Persianis to the party’s shadow cabinet, assigning him the resilience and development portfolio.

He will monitor and assess policies affecting the long-term resilience and development prospects of the Cypriot economy and submit recommendations on fiscal responsibility, productivity, competitiveness, investment and reforms.

Role and priorities

According to Disy, Persianis will be responsible for evaluating policies related to the Cypriot economy’s long-term prospects and preparing specific recommendations.

Demetriou said Cyprus needs a development model that can withstand future crises and challenges rather than being limited to current performance.

“It needs fiscal seriousness, to strengthen productivity and competitiveness, and to attract investment and reforms which create real and sustainable prospects for the future,” she said.

Experience and proposals

Demetriou said Persianis has extensive knowledge of the Cypriot economy, significant fiscal policy experience and a technocratic approach.

Persianis said strengthening the economy’s resilience and creating conditions for sustainable development require consistency, seriousness and well-founded choices.

“I will work together with the members of the shadow cabinet to formulate specific and applicable proposals which will respond to the needs of today and the challenges of the coming years,” he said.

Professional background

Persianis served as chairman of the fiscal council from 2022 until July this year. He previously worked as Bank of Cyprus’ directorate of corporate affairs.

Before his corporate career, he worked as a journalist, including as a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and editor-in-chief for economics and finance at the Cyprus edition of Kathimerini.