The back-and-forth in the President’s notebook is coming to an end. Nikos Christodoulides confirmed, according to reports, at the DIKO secretariat, that a cabinet reshuffle is imminent and expected within the next twenty-four hours, as the President does not want it to conflict with developments regarding the Cyprus issue. Otherwise, it means that the reshuffle will be postponed until after the first ten days of August. According to reports, the reshuffle is expected to involve the Ministries of Agriculture, Culture, and Transportation, though a change in leadership at the Ministry of Tourism cannot be ruled out.

Step by Step

One by one, the President’s Office and DIKO are laying the groundwork for their relationship, with an eye toward the 2028 presidential election. Their close ties with the Presidential Palace and the new framework for cooperation are being reaffirmed, with Nikolas Papadopoulos and the party’s secretariat crossing the threshold of the Presidential Palace for the third time in two weeks.

Early in the morning, away from the spotlight, they discussed pending bills, government policies, and, of course, the cabinet reshuffle.

READ ALSO: Haggling Over the Cabinet Reshuffle: What DIKO Demanded and the President’s Two “No’s”

DIKO and the President’s Office have made it clear that they have not yet agreed on a list of names, though this is expected to be addressed in a separate discussion between Nikos Christodoulides and Nikolas Papadopoulos.

The party insisted on its demand to strengthen DIKO’s presence with at least one additional ministry and deputy ministry. The President of the Republic reiterated that there will be no changes in the Ministries of Finance and the Interior, nor in the Ministries of Health and Energy, which are currently headed by the party’s vice presidents.

Also on the agenda are changes to parastatal organizations, with Nikolas Papadopoulos seeking chairmanships at key public-law entities.

READ ALSO: The new Christodoulides-Nikola “deal” in the shadow of the reshuffle, the background to the meeting

Win-win

Every week, the DIKO parliamentary spokesperson and members of parliament will meet with the Deputy Minister to the President. They will offer their views on aspects of the government’s work and will begin one-on-one meetings with ministers to receive updates on issues within their respective portfolios.

Watch Evangelos Agapios’s report: