Front Page Headlines
Everything to close at night in Limassol and Paphos
Each person with a mask, across Cyprus, in all public spaces. New cases of coronavirus reached 188 yesterday, with the total number in Cyprus passing 3,000. New measures are precautionary, Health Minister says, without excluding possibility of additional measures. Dr. Zoe Pana describes restrictions as intense effort to avoid a lockdown.
- European Parliament: Severe scolding over passports
- Self-dissolution of Parliament: A game of populism and one-liner competition
New wave of restrictions begins
The 14 days that derailed Cyprus – Measures were announced but new ones are also being processed. Mandatory masks everywhere, curfew in Limassol and Paphos.
- Hot potato goes to Adamou today: Dissolution of Parliament to be voted on, with three votes undetermined – Averof (Neophytou) casts doubt on DIKO’s kingmaker role and acrobatics over state budget – Fourth citizens’ protest march against corruption – Even MEPs berated us over passports
- Impressive exercise: “Fiery Arrow” hit the centre
- Oktay made clarifications for Tatar
- Curtain drops on trial with imprisonment of Golden Dawn members
They covered up the corruption with lies
Shame, shame, shame the Europeans shouted out to the President! Fiery revelations by Commissioner. They were asking us to put an end to it and Anastasiades was pretending to be deaf!
- Rage flares up but government will not quit
- Golden Dawn leadership in prison
- Fuat Oktay: “We only discuss on the basis of two states”. Tatar “sworn in” today
- Anastasiades should respond on how the Crans Montana conference ended up
- Another 188 cases. Obligatory use of masks everywhere – 6 persons per table in dining establishments. Meetings up to 10 people – Cry of anguish to strengthen reference hospital
Mask mandate for open spaces
As daily tally hits near-record 188 cases, measures tightened further.
- Fiery Arrow 2020: Turkey is becoming more and more aggressive, says defence minister
- Cyprus: President Anastasiades will not step down
- Business: ‘No new citizenship scheme for Cyprus’
26 in favour of early elections, 27 against – Three rebels are decisive factor
Political Thriller! Proposal from Greens – Anna Theologou for self-dissolution of Parliament and government resignation divides Parliament. DISY, EDEK, Greens, ELAM, Anna Theologou in favour – AKEL, DIKO, Citizens’ Alliance against. Three MPs of Cooperation of Democratic Forces (Angelos Votsis, Marinos Moushiouttas, Yiorgos Prokopiou). President Anastasiades will not quit.
- Harshest measures to deal with coronavirus pandemic: Everywhere with masks and partial lockdown in Limassol and Paphos – Football fields again without fans, less people in theatres, cinemas and dining establishment – 500 students and teachers with coronavirus
- European Parliament: They told us off over golden passports
Main News
Coronavirus spike brings more measures to prevent new lockdown
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Internal Security, Human Rights
OVERVIEW
The dailies report that the recent spike in coronavirus cases has caused the government to announce increased measures starting on Friday until November 9th.
According to these new measures announced by Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou, mask use in public spaces, including outside buildings, will be obligatory. Ioannou said that these measures might be intense, but are preventive in nature.
The new measures include a limit of 10 people to public gatherings and in houses, a limit on the number of people in dining establishments.
A total of 188 new cases were detected after 4,304 lab tests on Thursday, the Health Ministry announced. 140 of the new cases were detected not through tracking but through the private initiative of people who asked to be tested. A total of 3,154 cases of the coronavirus have been detected so far in the government-controlled areas.
Parliament to debate early elections over passport scandal
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Migration & Citizenship, Internal Security, EU Matters, Governance & Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
The dailies report that the House of Representatives is due to discuss in Friday’s plenary a proposal for the dissolution of the Parliament and early elections.
Phileleftheros notes that 29 out of 56 votes are needed according to the constitution in order to achieve consensus over new elections.
The newspaper reports that governing DISY (18 seats), as well as EDEK (3 seats) and far-right movement ELAM (2 seats) have said with announcements that they are in favour of the proposal, which was brought forward by the Greens (2 seats) and independent MP Anna Theologou.
Main opposition parties AKEL (16 seats) and DIKO (7 seats) as well as Citizens’ Alliance (1 vote) and Solidarity (3 votes) have stated that they will vote against the proposal.
According to the newspaper, this brings the votes to 26 in favour and 26 against since the Speaker of the House usually does not vote. If new Speaker, AKEL MP Adamos Adamou, who is due to be voted in tomorrow, votes with his party, then the votes against rise to 27.
All newspapers point out the three votes of the Cooperation of Democratic Forces, made up of MPs that recently broke off from DIKO, Angelos Votsis, Marinos Moushiouttas and Yiorgos Prokopiou, will decide the result. By late Thursday, the three MPs had not clarified what they would do.
Phileleftheros notes that if the proposal is accepted, then there has to be an election within 40 days, which would mean elections would have to take place on November 29th.
Politis notes that AKEL and DIKO had said they would reject the proposal if President Anastasiades did not resign as well.
During the same day, the Presidency announced in a written statement that Anastasiades is not planning to resign as this would betray the trust shown in him by the majority of the people. He also called for unity during a difficult time when the country is facing both Turkish provocations and a serious health crisis.
Government spokesperson Kyriakos Koushios took a harsher tone in a statement, where he pointed out AKEL’s involvement in the golden passports scandal through former MP Christakis Giovanni.
Phileleftheros also reports on a new protest against corruption that took place on Thursday, outside the Presidential Palace. The protesters handed out passports and held up a coffin marked as containing the concepts of honesty and dignity. The protest began from the Interior Ministry and ended up at the Presidential Palace.
The dailies report also on a debate during Thursday’s plenary of the European Parliament, during which Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said that the Commission had wanted to reach a political agreement with Cyprus and Malta on golden passports. However, since this did not happen, the Commission was forced to start infringement procedures against the two countries.
Reynders was also clear that the Commission is against the prospect of the two countries, or any other countries, introducing new schemes that would result in the sale of citizenships, and pointed out that this practice causes serious security threats to the EU.
Politis points out that MEPs from all parliamentary groups criticised Cyprus and Malta and argued for the immediate cessation of all programmes that hand citizenship or residency rights in return for investments. The MEPs also asked for controls and punishments to be handed out since the two countries were selling EU citizenship.
Turkish VP echoes Tatar on ruling out federal solution
Alithia, Haravgi, Cyprus Mail, Phileleftheros, Politis
Negotiations Process, External Security, Governance & Power Sharing, Regional/ International Relations
OVERVIEW
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, who is in charge of Cypriot affairs, said on Thursday that a federal solution is no longer on the table as far as Turkey is concerned, Phileleftheros reports, noting that Ankara is clearing the deck ahead of any new dialogue.
The newspaper reports that Oktay will visit the occupied areas on Friday to be present in the swearing in ceremony of new T/C leader Ersin Tatar. Oktay will also attend the first meeting presided by Tatar, where relations between Turkey and the “TRNC” will be discussed.
Oktay said in his statements that no one can expect Turkey and the T/Cs to support a federal solution. He added that the election results in the north have shown that it is possible to talk about a bicommunal solution involving two sovereign nations that will defend the political equality of the T/Cs.
In statements on Thursday, Tatar said that he has the support of the people in promoting different approaches on the negotiation table. Tatar underlined that the T/Cs want to safeguard the state they created and avoid traps that have been set up for a federal solution.
Tatar insisted that a realistic solution would have to be based on sovereign equality because there is a state in the north that no one can overlook.
Also, Turkey reacted to the statements made on Wednesday during the Trilateral Summit of the leaders of Cyprus, Greece and Egypt. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Ankara rejects the statements made by the three countries, adding that it includes baseless accusations against Turkey, Phileleftheros reports.
The Turkish FM reiterated that real cooperation in the region can only be achieved through a comprehensive approach that would include all countries in the region, as well as the T/Cs.
Meanwhile, Phileleftheros and Cyprus Mail report on the military exercise “Fiery Arrow” which took place between October 20th and 22nd, with the participation of soldiers from Greece.
KEY ACTORS
Fuat Oktay (Turkish VP)
>> As far as Turkey is concerned, a federal solution is not on the table
>> Election result in the north has shown that it is possible to talk about a bicommunal solution involving two sovereign nations that will defend political equality of T/Cs
Ersin Tatar (elected T/C leader)
>> The T/Cs want to safeguard the state they created and avoid traps that have been set up such as a federal solution
>> A realistic solution would have to be based on sovereign equality
Turkish Foreign Ministry
>> We reject the statements made by the G/C administration – Greece – Egypt summit as it includes baseless accusations against Turkey
>> Real regional cooperation can only be achieved by including all countries in the region as well as the T/Cs