A never-ending standoff between the President’s Office on one side and the Democratic Alarm on the other, in the wake of the House of Representatives’ refusal to extend the term of the Deputy Minister for European Affairs by six months.

For the third day in a row, the government insists that behind DISY’s decision to vote against the urgent bill lies a personal attack against Marilena Raouna.

“What we find problematic is the tone of the reactions, primarily on the part of DISY. There was an offensive and disparaging attack against Ms. Raouna. They tried to undermine the work that was done and made her the target of their criticism.”
_{^{Yiannis Antoniou – Deputy Government Spokesperson}}

READ ALSO: DISY and the Presidency at loggerheads over Raouna’s tenure—what does the House of Representatives’ “no” mean?

Meanwhile, the government is asking that such serious issues be kept out of the election campaign.

“Right now, we’re in the midst of an election campaign. We believe this is part of a political process, but we must not take a one-size-fits-all approach and lose sight of the bigger picture, which is the vital interests of the Republic of Cyprus.”
_{^{Yiannis Antoniou – Deputy Government Spokesperson}}

DISY Response

Pindarou points out, however, that DISY cannot approve measures that would burden the public budget without explanation or substantive justification, while at the same time turning the tables by arguing that the one who was offensive in this case is the President of the Republic himself.

“It was the President who was offensive and dismissive when he said that DISY is not staying true to its roots. When they talk about such things at the Presidential Palace, they need to be careful lest it backfire on them.”
_{^{Dimitris Dimitriou – DISY Parliamentary Spokesperson}}

READ ALSO: Storm of Reactions Over Raouna’s Term: Online Clash Between Letympiotis and Koulla Over “Cronyism” and “Disrespect”

He also pointed out that decisions on matters such as the extension of the Deputy Minister for European Affairs’ term should not be made on the fly.

“Is it the Deputy Minister for European Affairs’ job to handle the budgetary framework? Aren’t the Minister of Finance and the Minister of the Interior the ones who consult with each other?”
_{^{Dimitris Dimitriou – DISY Parliamentary Spokesperson}}

Pindarou’s attack on the Presidency also extended to the serious problems that arose during the transition to the new digital television platform.

“The Deputy Minister of Innovation’s public admission that the problem was underestimated and the forced return to the old platform are a clear admission of the government’s failure.”
_{^{Michalis Ioannidis – Head of the DISY Government Project Monitoring Council}}

READ ALSO: “A monumental failure”: DISY’s fierce criticism of the government over digital television

Stating that this is not merely a technical issue, but a complete failure of planning and coordination, the price of which 110,000 vulnerable households are now being forced to pay.

Alpha has created a special artificial intelligence tool that lets you check, in just a few simple steps, whether your TV is compatible with DVB-T2 technology. 

You can find it here.

Watch Nikos Prokommenos’s report: