Government defends new board appointments amid criticism

The Cypriot government and the Advisory Council are facing backlash over recent appointments to the boards of semi-governmental organizations. Deputy Government Spokesman Giannis Antoniou and Advisory Council Chairman Giorgos Aresti have dismissed the criticism as unfair, arguing that the new system is a significant improvement over previous practices, which relied solely on political party affiliation. Officials noted that 95 individuals were appointed in total, with the Advisory Council providing recommendations for 74 of them, representing an adoption rate of approximately 78% to 80%.

Opposition party DISY has publicly challenged the integrity of the process, suggesting that the Advisory Council may be acting as a "cloak of meritocracy" for pre-determined government choices. The party highlighted that 21 of the 95 appointees were not among those recommended by the Council. While the government maintains that the process is transparent and that it is common to appoint individuals who did not submit formal applications due to limited interest in certain roles, DISY argues that the government ultimately maintains unilateral control, rendering the advisory role secondary. The controversy underscores ongoing tensions regarding governance reform and merit-based selection in the public sector.