July 26, 2025 - Citizens Deserve Answers
Two of our fellow human beings have been lost. We once again express our sincere condolences to their families and loved ones. The loss of lives due to State failure is the primary and most serious issue—they were not a “collateral loss” or an “unfortunate incident.”
We thank all the volunteers, individuals, firefighters, and organized groups who have shown that love for Cyprus does not allow for divisions.
Crisis management is not just a matter of resources and plans. It is, above all, a matter of transparency, accountability, and responsibility toward the citizens.
Homes, property, forests, and an entire ecosystem have been destroyed. The State underperformed. Citizens were left without information, without assistance, without any meaningful presence of the authorities. And all this comes at a time when mega-fires like this are only expected to become more frequent due to the climate crisis. For vulnerable Cyprus, preparation for dealing with such disasters is now a matter of national security.
People are demanding answers-and rightfully so- to the following:
How many aerial firefighting assets does the country actually have, and how many were truly deployed?
Was the Monagri–Alassa road closed properly once the fire had surrounded it? If not, why wasn’t it closed, leading to the death of two fellow citizens?
Why did RIK (Cyprus' public broadcaster) air regular TV shows on the night of the crisis instead of providing continuous coverage to keep citizens from being left at the mercy of unreliable information from social media?
Why is the 112 automatic emergency alert system still not operational—the most basic emergency tool? Why were local community leaders left unaided to evacuate villages with no plan?
Why did the government reject the help offered by the Turkish Cypriot community?
Where did the donations for the 2021 fire victims go? Have all affected individuals been compensated? If not, how can citizens trust the State to fairly handle current compensations?
Meanwhile, citizens and individuals were the ones on the front lines, with their own resources, with self-sacrifice, through their own initiatives. This image does not honor the State—it exposes it.
As Volt, we demand:
A public apology from the government to the citizens.
The resignation of the Ministers of Justice and Environment for their complete failure in prevention, coordination, and crisis management.
The immediate activation of 112.
A public report on the use of firefighting resources, evacuation orders, expenditures, and past donations.
A specific compensation schedule—with published dates and procedures—so that every affected person knows when and how they will be compensated.
These are not opposition demands. They are the minimum every citizen is entitled to. Trust in the State is not built through statements—it is built through responsibility and transparency.
And when those are absent, you owe it to the people to apologize and step down.