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KAROYIAN SETS ABOUT MODERNISING CYPRIOT RULING PARTY
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 24, 2006 Tuesday 10:49 AM EST
Masis der Parthogh, dpa
Nicosia
DPA POLITICS Cyprus Politics NEWS FEATURE: Karoyian sets about
modernising Cypriot ruling party Masis der Parthogh, dpa Nicosia
The new leader of the ruling centre-right Democratic Party (Diko) of
Cyprus, Marios Karoyian, set about modernisation before presidential
elections in February 2008.
This would seem to demonstrate that party control has been returned
to the members and wrested from Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos.
Backed by the old guard, who set up the party three decades ago,
Karoyian, 45, on Sunday emerged as the third and youngest party
leader from an extraordinary conference where he was challenged only
by deputy leader Nicos Cleanthous. Papadopoulos had stepped down as
party chief in August.
Karoyian, an Armenian Cypriot who rose up the ranks of the party
founded by the late Spyros Kyprianou, father of European Health and
Consumer Affairs Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, won by a surprisingly
wide margin of 62.6 per cent of the party's voters over 37.4 per cent
for Cleanthous.
Only half of the party's 14,000 members showed up to vote for their
new leader.
Analysts said this marked an advance to replace old-school politicians
with dynamic young leaders.
The result shocked Cleanthous, who had deputised Tassos Papadopoulos
ever since the latter was elected president of Cyprus in 2003.
"I did not expect the result and I am as much disappointed that only
half the registered party members turned up to vote," Cleanthous said.
This could also explain the disappointment with a leader, who barely
made it to the House of Representatives in the parliamentary election
in May when the party gained new voters and two seats.
In the party elections, Cleanthous only secured a majority in his
hometown of Larnaca while the charismatic Karoyian swept the votes in
all other towns.
Moments after being declared president, Karoyian called for unity
and paid tribute to Spyros Kyprianou's legacy as well as Tassos
Papadopoulos.
"We will implement the political line of the coalition and move
forward united, through a modernised Democratic Party."
Standing beside the new party leader was Markos Kyprianou and his
brother, Achilleas, both members of the Diko executive council.
Nicholas Papadopoulos, the president's son, who is a new member of
parliament, was absent from the main panel.
This would indicate the start of a rift within the party that has
long wanted to abandon the three-party coalition with the powerful
communist Akel party and the diminishing socialist Edek in favour of
a coalition of equals with Akel.
Commissioner Kyprianou also seemed to throw his support behind the
young leader, saying times had changed from the days of individual
leaders and an new age of good managers marked by a need for
collectiveness had begun.
Kyprianou is being touted as the coalition candidate for the next
presidential elections when the party will have to decide on either
the young commissioner or the incumbent Papadopoulos.
Whatever the outcome, Diko supporters will be recalled to the next
party conference in March where Karoyian's leadership will be tested
less than a year after winning his parliamentary seat.
Karoyian was born in 1961 and joined the party's youth when studying
political science in Perugia, Italy. He served as president of the
Nedik youth movement for six years and joined the party's central
committee in 1988.
A close aide to the late Spyros Kyprianou, he also served as the
director of the presidential office in parliament, and later moved to
the presidential palace in 2003. That was followed by a stint as a
government spokesperson.
He is married and has a daughter and a son. He speaks Greek, English,
Italian and Spanish.
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 24, 2006 Tuesday 10:49 AM EST
Masis der Parthogh, dpa
Nicosia
DPA POLITICS Cyprus Politics NEWS FEATURE: Karoyian sets about
modernising Cypriot ruling party Masis der Parthogh, dpa Nicosia
The new leader of the ruling centre-right Democratic Party (Diko) of
Cyprus, Marios Karoyian, set about modernisation before presidential
elections in February 2008.
This would seem to demonstrate that party control has been returned
to the members and wrested from Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos.
Backed by the old guard, who set up the party three decades ago,
Karoyian, 45, on Sunday emerged as the third and youngest party
leader from an extraordinary conference where he was challenged only
by deputy leader Nicos Cleanthous. Papadopoulos had stepped down as
party chief in August.
Karoyian, an Armenian Cypriot who rose up the ranks of the party
founded by the late Spyros Kyprianou, father of European Health and
Consumer Affairs Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, won by a surprisingly
wide margin of 62.6 per cent of the party's voters over 37.4 per cent
for Cleanthous.
Only half of the party's 14,000 members showed up to vote for their
new leader.
Analysts said this marked an advance to replace old-school politicians
with dynamic young leaders.
The result shocked Cleanthous, who had deputised Tassos Papadopoulos
ever since the latter was elected president of Cyprus in 2003.
"I did not expect the result and I am as much disappointed that only
half the registered party members turned up to vote," Cleanthous said.
This could also explain the disappointment with a leader, who barely
made it to the House of Representatives in the parliamentary election
in May when the party gained new voters and two seats.
In the party elections, Cleanthous only secured a majority in his
hometown of Larnaca while the charismatic Karoyian swept the votes in
all other towns.
Moments after being declared president, Karoyian called for unity
and paid tribute to Spyros Kyprianou's legacy as well as Tassos
Papadopoulos.
"We will implement the political line of the coalition and move
forward united, through a modernised Democratic Party."
Standing beside the new party leader was Markos Kyprianou and his
brother, Achilleas, both members of the Diko executive council.
Nicholas Papadopoulos, the president's son, who is a new member of
parliament, was absent from the main panel.
This would indicate the start of a rift within the party that has
long wanted to abandon the three-party coalition with the powerful
communist Akel party and the diminishing socialist Edek in favour of
a coalition of equals with Akel.
Commissioner Kyprianou also seemed to throw his support behind the
young leader, saying times had changed from the days of individual
leaders and an new age of good managers marked by a need for
collectiveness had begun.
Kyprianou is being touted as the coalition candidate for the next
presidential elections when the party will have to decide on either
the young commissioner or the incumbent Papadopoulos.
Whatever the outcome, Diko supporters will be recalled to the next
party conference in March where Karoyian's leadership will be tested
less than a year after winning his parliamentary seat.
Karoyian was born in 1961 and joined the party's youth when studying
political science in Perugia, Italy. He served as president of the
Nedik youth movement for six years and joined the party's central
committee in 1988.
A close aide to the late Spyros Kyprianou, he also served as the
director of the presidential office in parliament, and later moved to
the presidential palace in 2003. That was followed by a stint as a
government spokesperson.
He is married and has a daughter and a son. He speaks Greek, English,
Italian and Spanish.