President Nicos Christodoulides believes the discussion surrounding the 2028 presidential election has begun “far too early”. With 17 to 18 months remaining before voters go to the polls, he says there are more serious matters to address and challenges to tackle.
Fair enough. Provided, of course, that Christodoulides means what he says. Because the feeling within society is that since the day after his election to the presidency, we have been living through a peculiar and prolonged election campaign. His own.
Just last Sunday, Politis reported that, according to information received, Press and Information Office officers seconded to ministries were asked to prepare speeches by policy area, providing the President with material to present his government’s achievements to the public.
At the same time, reports carried not only by Politis but also by other media suggest that efforts to promote the government’s record will intensify in the coming period, through events, presentations and stronger communication of what the Presidential Palace regards as the administration’s successes.
This has already been happening for months, including through social media videos released almost every Sunday presenting government “reforms” and achievements.
When does a campaign really begin?
All of this can, of course, fall within a president’s duties. He has the right to present his record, meet citizens and communicate his government’s policies.
But let us not hide from reality. In politics, an election campaign does not begin on the day someone stands in front of the cameras and announces their candidacy.
It begins earlier.
It begins with the image they build. With the audiences they seek to reach. With the political relationships they cultivate through appointments, including ministers and boards of directors.
It also involves tools paid for by the public that are used for Christodoulides’ indirect political promotion, such as diakivernisi.gov.cy, which was created during the first year of his administration and subsequently developed into a platform for presenting and monitoring the government’s work.
Nor should we forget the video that caused a political earthquake at the Presidential Palace at the beginning of this year. Statements by people from the President’s circle brought into the discussion not only the financing of Nicos Christodoulides’ previous presidential campaign, but also the financing of the next one.
Seen from this perspective, Christodoulides appears anything but indifferent to 2028.
That is why his comments yesterday raise questions.
The ‘more serious issues’
As for the “more serious issues” before us, if the President is referring primarily to his commitment to the Cyprus issue and efforts to restart negotiations, then we must indeed acknowledge the... seriousness of the situation.
So far, communication tactics have been plentiful, commitment remains elusive and the talks themselves remain nowhere to be found.
