Mavroyiannis pledges to focus on prices and corruption

Presidential candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis said he has the plans and the tools to address society’s main concerns, which he identified as the cost of living, corruption and the migration issue, among others.

Those at the press conference on Wednesday heard his aims to tackle corruption will be based on transparency and meritocracy.

If elected, Mavroyiannis said he will seek to further tighten rotations within the public sector and will implement a stricter application of “pothen esches” (“where have the funds come from?”) for politicians, among other measures. A major focus would be appointments based on ability and credentials.

As for efforts to alleviate the migration issue, Mavroyiannis said he will push for Cyprus’ exemption from the EU’s Dublin Regulation and an equal distribution of applicants. The Dublin Regulation (sometimes referred to as Dublin III) is European Union law. It determines which country is responsible for examining an asylum application – normally the country where the asylum seeker first entered Europe.

The Akel-backed candidate said he would also seek to establish a bicommunal technical committee on migration with the north, in cooperation with the UNHCR.

He also focused on the spiraling housing pressures, saying he would establish a housing policy unit, provide incentives to increase the housing supply, and further streamline the permits process. Mavroyiannis said he would also look at ways to combine state owned land with efforts from the private sector to increase the housing stock, while pressing for empty units to be turned into student housing.

As for the cost of living pressures, Mavroyiannis said he will push for universal installation of photovoltaics in housing units – with subsidies reaching up to one hundred per cent. He also said that he would scrap the double taxation on fuel and restore the reduction of VAT on electricity from 19 per cent to nine per cent for as long as the crisis lasts.