It is a constitutionally enshrined right of the President of the Republic to reshuffle his cabinet. Yet the prolonged public debate and constant name-dropping have short-circuited an already dysfunctional state apparatus, devalued the office of minister and that on the eve of Cyprus assuming the EU Council presidency.
Now is the moment for President Nikos Christodoulides either to put a full stop to the rumours by stating clearly that these ministers will be at the helm during the EU presidency, or to proceed with the reshuffle so that the new ministers have at least some time to be briefed before chairing their respective councils and committees. Anything less will be a problem for the country.
We do not wish to be unfair to the President. He did attempt to play down the rumours about a reshuffle supposedly leaking from the Presidential Palace. But these rumours have not started circulating now; they have been around for months. And the colleagues who have been writing about them are not anonymous social media trolls but named, reputable journalists. In other words, the impression has been firmly established that a reshuffle is imminent from one day to the next.
This is not only embedded in public opinion, which can always be “a victim” of the media, of journalists’ “imagination” or “wishes” or of other motives. It has also sunk in among cabinet members themselves, in ministry directorates and from there throughout the public service. You work differently when you know your political superior is on the way out and differently when you believe that tomorrow he or she may no longer be in the office. The same logic applies in the business world.
Private actors are not naïve. For months now, they have barely been able to see ministers whose names are constantly mentioned in reshuffle scenarios, and they struggle to pay attention to their speeches. Listening to them makes as much sense as listening to ministers who, according to the rumours, have already been replaced.
Who can seriously convince them that their concerns have been heard or their worries shared when their interlocutor is considered outgoing? The President of the Republic is effectively the only figure whose portfolio is guaranteed until 2028, the only fully credible interlocutor. Is the President now “playing” without a team, relying only on his closest, irreplaceable aides?
I do not know whether this borders on being unconstitutional, but it certainly sits outside any notion of institutional rationality, good governance and effective administration. The President appears to want his ministers politically “spineless” and without clear political support. What expectations can anyone reasonably have of such a minister? Is a minister simply the punching bag between the President and everyone else, or the political head of a ministry?
And what message does this image, which the President has allowed to form, send about the institution they represent, and about the kind of people he can hope to attract to serve in his cabinet?
Beyond the unpleasant optics, the problem is real and will soon become European. You cannot deliver a credible EU presidency with ministers counting down the days until they leave. What incentive do they have to fully brief themselves on the agenda they are supposed to steer next year? And how much effort will their subordinates put into preparing them, when they suspect this may be wasted work and double effort later on? These reactions are entirely human and to be expected.
What everyone is now waiting for is either a reshuffle or a clear statement that this cabinet team will not be changed a few weeks before Cyprus takes over the EU presidency, even at this late stage.