Cyprus achieves wobbly consensus

The government of the Republic of Cyprus on Friday approved a tough austerity programme in the hope of not being dragged into a serious financial crisis by its neighbour Greece. The liberal daily Politis welcomes the cross-party consensus but fears that tactical games could undermine the compromise: "Our country is fortunate that all the parties have approved the measures for saving our economy. ... But the government won't be able to implement them on its own. Will there be conflict with the trade unions if they react negatively to the measures? Will all parties continue to send the message that if we go on like this we will be lost? The consensus requires the willingness to assume responsibility. Are all the parties ready to pay the political price? Or will they - as so often in the past - allow some of their members to adopt different roles so they can score on both sides?"

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