Data reveals the Anastasiades-DISY government as the most corrupt ever
6 February 2022, ‘Haravgi’ newspaper, by Konstantinos Zachariou
The second term of the Anastasiades-DISY government is the most corrupt ever in the history of the Republic of Cyprus, as confirmed by the data released from ‘Transparency International’.
The Organisation assesses countries on a scale from 0 to 100, where a score of 0 means that the state is extremely corrupt and 100 means that there is a perception/feeling that the state is “clean”, i.e. that there is no corruption.
In 2008 (the first year of Demetris Christofias’ government) Cyprus recorded a good score (64), which was maintained until the end of its five-year period. In fact, in 2012 (the last year of Demetris Christofias’ government) Cyprus was rated 66, which is the highest score the country has ever registered.
However, in 2013 (the first year of the government of Nicos Anastasiades and DISY) the country’s position dropped sharply to 63. In fact, it proved to be a nightmare as in 2018 (the first year of the second term of Nicos Anastasiades and DISY) the country’s score dropped to 59 and subsequently plummeted to 53 in 2021, which is the worst score Cyprus has ever recorded in the Transparency International index.
In other words, the country is now marginally above the ranking of the most corrupt countries around the world!
It should be noted that the greatest deterioration was observed after the completion of the Memorandum of Understanding and is therefore attributed almost exclusively to the actions and omissions of the Nicos Anastasiades-DISY government.
The country’s ranking naturally followed a similar course. More specifically, in 2008, Cyprus was ranked 31st out of 180 countries evaluated by the International Transparency Organisation, while by the end of the government of Demetris Christofias in 2012 it had risen to 29th place.
However, from 2013 onwards the country went downhill, reaching 52nd place in 2021, which is the worst ranking in the history of the Republic of Cyprus.
Downward slide in all indicators
Cyprus’ downward slide in corruption and entanglement/interwoven interests issues under the Anastasiades-DISY government is reflected in all indicators that are recognized around the world.
Indicatively, in the World Bank’s index Cyprus has plummeted from 1.25 in 2012 (under the government of Demetris Christofias) to 0.38 in 2020, which is the worst score the country has ever received. Cyprus also emerged as a champion in the Eurobarometer with regards the increase in corruption, with 65% expressing the view that the problem has worsened even more in recent months.
Furthermore, the Economic Council warned that corruption is one of the most serious weaknesses facing the economy, particularly in the area of attracting foreign investment and the development of businesses.
