THE election campaign for the Archbishopric came into its own yesterday, as the top contenders and their supporters strove for maximum publicity.
The most striking event by far took place in Nicosia, where the supporters of Kykkos bishop Nikiforos held a news conference to extol the virtues of the cleric.
It was attended by a cornucopia of public figures, including former President Glafcos Clerides, Elsi Christofia (wife of AKEL leader Demetris Christofias), Andri Anastassiadou (wife of DISY chief Nicos Anastassiades) and deputies from various parties.
Taking his turn at the podium, AKEL deputy Nicos Katsourides told the gathering that Nikiforos possessed all the traits of a leader
To a standing ovation, Nikiforos himself made a cameo appearance towards the end, thanking all those gathered there for their support.
The politicians’ endorsement is seen as a big boost for the Kykkos bishop, who has cultivated a cosmopolitan image for himself ahead of the September elections.
But Paphos bishop Chrysostomos, the caretaker of the Church, was none too impressed.
“They tried to put on a spectacle to show that there is momentum,” he said of Nikiforos’ event in the capital.
And he repeated his plea to parties to “leave the faithful alone”.
Chrysostomos was speaking from a gathering in his home village of Tala, Paphos.
“It is unacceptable for the parties to marshal their apparatus, and go from door to door urging people to vote for this or that cleric,” he said.
“We have told them [the parties] to refrain from interfering. So if tomorrow we decide to interfere in their elections, let them not take offense and pull a long face,” cautioned Chrysostomos.
Meanwhile bishop of Kition Chrysostomos called for a nationally televised debate featuring all four major candidates for the throne.
The bishop demanded that the moderator and journalists taking part in the debate should be selected by lot.
“That way, we can ensure that the questions posed are not the product of manipulation,” he said.
The first round of the elections will take place on Sunday, September 24. The public will vote for 1,400 Special Representatives. On the second Sunday, these 1,400 will nominate 100 Electors who, combined with 33 ex officio clerics, will then vote for the new Archbishop in the third and final stage.
This move by AKEL and DISY to openly support the bishop of Kykkos is a disgrace.
Why they do that? Because they want to make sure that the church will be controlled by them and that the new Archbishop will endorse whatever decision AKEL and DISY make in a future referendum about the Cyprus problem.
So this is the "who will control the religious sheep" kind of elections.
I was not going to vote, but now I will. I will vote for anybody except the Bishop of Kykkos.
