The fierce confrontation between the governmentand the opposition, sparked by the House of Representatives’ rejection of the emergency motion to extend the term of the Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna. Konstantinos Letympiotis and Onoufrios Koulis crossed “swords” on social media and through posts on their personal Facebook accounts.

The DISY Spokesperson notes that “instead of being ashamed, they’re pointing fingers” and speaks of cronyism and nepotism masquerading as the public interest.

SEE ALSO: Dispute Over Raouna: Fierce Clash Between Government and Opposition Over Extension of Deputy Minister’s Term

The Government Spokesperson responded that “the language chosen by the DISY Press Spokesperson trivializes political discourse in a manner that is offensive and institutionally unacceptable”

READ ALSO: “Sacrifice of strategic objectives”: Letympiotis takes aim at DISY over the “blockade” in Raouna

Appearing as a guest on the Alpha News program, DISY MP Savvia Orfanidou spoke of a political decision based on the party’s principles and explained that DISY had fulfilled its duty, as there was no time to exercise parliamentary oversight to determine whether Ms. Raouna’s services needed to continue. She also questioned why, if the government considered the decision urgent, it did not instruct the relevant officials to present the request to the House of Representatives five or six months ago.

When asked about DISY officials who disagreed with the House’s decision, Ms. Orphanidou said she is tired of such matters and noted that DISY has proven many times that it is responsive to truly urgent issues and has convened emergency and lengthy sessions.

SEE ALSO: “A principled political decision”: How Savvia explains DISY’s position on Raouna’s term

In a written statement, the Democratic Alarm responds to Nikos Christodoulides’s fierce criticism, noting that “The President of the Republic is attempting to turn his own failure into a political attack against the Democratic Rally.”

“Yesterday, a specific government measure and a motion submitted as a matter of urgency were voted down. Anything else constitutes a deliberate attempt to mislead public opinion. The government’s decision to bring forward an issue purported to be so serious at the very last minute—without allowing the necessary time for review, consultation, and meaningful parliamentary oversight, cannot help but raise legitimate questions about political expediency. If the extension was indeed so critical to the interests of the Republic of Cyprus and to the negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework, why was it not provided for in a timely manner? Why was it not incorporated into the relevant legislation from the outset, as was done during a previous Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union? The creation of new structures, the extension of terms of office, and the imposition of new inflexible expenditures on the public sector are serious policy decisions. They cannot be introduced at the last minute and the House of Representatives asked to approve them without the necessary documentation. Moreover, it is unthinkable to attempt to create the impression that the Republic of Cyprus’s access to European funds depends on a six-month extension of a specific individual’s term of office. Since 2004, the Republic of Cyprus has been participating on an equal footing in the European Union, negotiates the Multiannual Financial Frameworks, and secures significant European funds through the relevant state institutions. The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Directorate of Development, and the relevant government agencies have consistently and successfully demonstrated that they are capable of carrying out this task. The country’s own historical trajectory refutes the government’s claims. The Democratic Alarm is the political party that has consistently defended the country’s European course through actions, with seriousness and evidence, rather than through media hyperbole. If the President of the Republic is looking to assign blame, let him look to his own government and not to the Democratic Alarm. Political expediency cannot be passed off as a European necessity.”

Earlier, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letympiotis, in a lengthy Facebook post, referred to “a two-page bill—one of great importance, however, for the country and its national aspirations—was rejected.”

“Yesterday, the DISY Parliamentary Spokesperson said that the problem was the fast-track procedure. That there wasn’t time to ‘study’ it.” Except that the only substantive change they had to study was this: replacing the date of July 31, 2026, with December 31, 2026. That was the change they didn’t have time to review. Today, however, the DISY Spokesperson made an even more revealing statement: that there is no need for the Deputy Ministry of European Affairs either. Apparently, the 22 member states of the European Union, which have an organized political structure for European affairs, have failed to grasp something correctly. And obviously, by the same logic, Cyprus doesn’t need such a structure either, even though it is a country with an unresolved national issue, with critical European negotiations ahead and with the European dimension of the Cyprus issue becoming increasingly significant. And these remarks, unfortunately, come from the leadership of a party that has historically had a clear European orientation. The argument that the Republic of Cyprus has been in the European Union for 22 years without this structure is, at the very least, anachronistic. Countries evolve. Needs change. European politics today requires knowledge, continuity, contacts, presence, and organized management. The extension was important because critical negotiations are currently underway regarding the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034, that is, regarding the European funds that the Republic of Cyprus will secure for the next seven years. Funds for projects in our communities, municipalities, and cities; for our farmers; and for cohesion, migration, defense, and security. What counts in this debate are knowledge, experience, the relationships built during the Cypriot Presidency, and the country’s ability to act in an organized and effective manner. The leadership of AKEL has remained faithful to its well-known ideological rigidities. The leadership of DISY, unfortunately, has chosen to stand in opposition to its very European origins. In the name of some people’s eagerness to prove that they are the opposition, critical strategic objectives of the Republic of Cyprus are being sacrificed. At times like these, votes aren’t simply counted—they’re weighed. And yesterday, priorities, judgment, and motives were weighed. Unfortunately, other factors prevailed.

P.S.: On July 14, the House of Representatives will reconvene in plenary session; they will certainly have time to study the matter. The question is whether they truly embrace a deeply substantive political approach.”

READ ALSO: “I expected this kind of behavior from AKEL, but I didn’t expect it from DISY”: President’s disappointment after House’s “no” on Raouna

President of the Republic Nicos Christodoulides expressed disappointment with the parties that voted against the executive branch’s proposal for the Deputy Ministry of European Affairs.

Speaking to reporters as he arrived at the Invest Cyprus International Investment Awards ceremony, he said, “I want to express my disappointment that the leaderships of DISY and AKEL chose today to vote against the executive branch’s request in the House of Representatives to extendthe term of the Deputy Minister for European Affairs by six months, a request made by the Government in light of the ongoing discussions aimed at finalizing the Multiannual Financial Framework.

The MFF concerns the European funds that the Republic of Cyprus will secure from the EU over the next seven years, that is, the funds we utilize through the Cohesion Fund to carry out all these projects we see in our communities, our cities, and our municipalities, the funds allocated to our farmers through the Common Agricultural Policy, the European resources provided to address migration, and the European resources allocated to defense and security.

And I want to say that I expected this kind of behavior from AKEL; their anti-European sentiments are well known. I did not, however, expect it from the Democratic Rally.

A few days ago, we saw several statements from the parties regarding the successful Presidency; we heard it first and foremost—and this is what matters to us—from foreign leaders and the heads of the institutions, and we heard it from the parties through their statements; however, their actions are moving in a completely different direction. At the same time, I would like to thank the political parties that acted responsibly and voted in favor of the Government’s proposal.”

When asked how he would proceed regarding Ms. Raouna’s portfolio, the President of the Republic said that “the executive branch always finds a way, and in this specific case as well, because for us, Cyprus comes first and foremost, and nothing else; how the Cypriot people will benefit to the greatest extent possible from all that I mentioned earlier through the National Development Plan. The executive branch will find a way.”