I Am Solely Responsible For New Cabinet, Says Newly-Elected President Nikos Christodoulides

The appointment of the new Cabinet members is solely my responsibility, the newly elected President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, told journalists at noon on Monday. He added that the processes for the formation of the new government scheme are at an advanced stage.

Asked about his feelings on the first day after his election to the Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus, Christodoulides referred to the response from the Cypriot society. He said that he receives many phone calls and messages from abroad and that the plan "which we will announce, for the contacts I will have in the next twenty-four hours in Cyprus" is on the table.

President-elect Christodoulides stated that he will have a meeting today at 19:00 with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades. He added that there will be meetings "as I promised with all the leaders of the parliamentary parties to present my positions, my views and to exchange some ideas."

He added that he thought it right to meet the President of the Republic "to discuss in particular all these outstanding issues that exist. You understand that there will also be a European Council in March and many other issues related to domestic governance, labor issues and many others that I will discuss with the President of the Republic," he said.

He reiterated that his first top political act to which he attaches particular importance is the appointment of the members of the Cabinet. He also said that the swearing-in will take place on February 28 at 11:30.

"The appointment of the members of the Council of Ministers is at an advanced stage. It is something that will be solely my responsibility and by extension these choices, if they are positive along the way or negative, the responsibility will again be mine," he said.

In response to a question about when there will be the first announcements of the names of the new Cabinet and whether he is considering the appointment of former Ministers as well or whether they are completely new persons, Christodoulides stated that his own approach is focused "on new people, to technocrats, mainly, who are tested in their field of competence, at the same time as they have contact with the political life of the place. It's important to have that combination."

The new President of the Republic stated that he has already spoken to some people and that he has informed them of his thoughts this morning. "So far the response has been positive and encouraging," he said.

He emphasized that the most important thing is "their faith in our own pre-election program." Christodoulides recommended patience for the disclosure of the names of the new Cabinet. Finally, he mentioned that his visit to Greece as the new President of the Republic of Cyprus will take place immediately after the swearing-in.