President Nikos Christodoulides on Monday night declined to reveal when he will announce a cabinet reshuffle, insisting that government changes will only be made public once his decisions have been finalised.
Speaking in an interview with Ant1, Christodoulides dismissed weeks of speculation over changes to his cabinet, saying reports circulating in recent months did not reflect official decisions.
“A reshuffle is not leaked in advance. It is announced when the decisions have been made,” he said.
The president confirmed only that Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou had decided to leave the government but declined to comment on any other potential departures or appointments.
Christodoulides insisted he would not be drawn into responding to daily reports naming prospective appointees.
He acknowledged that continued public discussion surrounding the reshuffle had created difficulties for both serving ministers and those reported to be under consideration for government positions.
“The public debate, especially the way it is being conducted, does not help anyone involved,” he said.
Christodoulides added that previous administrations had adopted a similar approach, referring to former president Glafcos Clerides, whose governments did not publicly discuss cabinet changes before they were formally announced.
The president also explained that recent developments in the Cyprus issue had taken precedence over domestic political matters, particularly during the visit of United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and efforts to advance the peace process.
“The reshuffle is important, but it was not my priority while the Secretary General was in Cyprus and discussions on the Cyprus issue were taking place,” he said.
Click here to change your cookie preferences