Being president is a “very lonely road,” says Cyprus’ leader on Nikhila Kamatha’s | podcast Today’s news
Zerodha founder and CEO Nikhil Kamath recently interviewed Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, where he later noted how loneliness is linked to power. The historian-turned-president described how it feels to serve as the country’s supreme leader and provided insight into his vision for running the country in a podcast released on July 1.
“It’s a very lonely road,” Nikos replied to Kamath’s question, “How does it feel to be in power?” and be the president of the country.
Leaders should focus on improving country, ‘not pleasing voters’, Cypriot president says
After detailing the responsibilities that the role entails, he added: “You have to….take difficult decisions every day. And so you should never forget that you are here to change your country, not to please voters the next day, have good articles in the press and care more about good books in the future.”
To prove his point, he referenced US President Donald Trump and touched on Washington’s recent crackdown on tariffs. He indicated that although the short-term appeasement brought positive reactions in the US, but “as time passes, you see that even President Trump understands that we have to have a discussion, we have to find a way, because what matters is what happens, not the reaction the next day.”
He emphasized the future consequences of the policies and laws that leaders put in place, adding: “It is very important to know that whatever you do, there is an end day, it will not be forever.”
How actions determine a leader’s success or failure today
Convinced that his academic background allows him to make informed decisions, he stated: “It is very important when you are in a position to be able to make decisions, to think and make decisions without thinking about the next election, but thinking about the next generations. And because I am a historian, it helps me to understand.”
Elaborating further on how actions today determine a leader’s failure or success, he said, “Because you can do something today, please everybody when you have the papers the next day… the best stories, the best coverage. But in the history books 50 years from now, it will be written that he failed.”
In a post on Instagram, Nikhil Kamath highlighted the representatives of the Cyprus president, writing: “Most people run for the highest office to be liked. He told me the opposite. A historian who became president and soon decided that it is about changing the country, not pleasing the room. Even if it means the loneliest version of the job.”
According to Nikos Christodoulides, the country’s leaders need to have a clear vision because if they don’t, it will only lead to solving “everyday problems” instead of the bigger problems of the economy. This makes the next election a major issue that focuses on the progress of the next generation. “You have to be very specific and always keep in mind that changes will probably come after you leave office,” said the 8th president of Cyprus, who is in office from 2023.
