Alliances become new battleground in DISY presidential race

Politics electionsparliamentTop News Alliances become new battleground in DISY presidential race Proedriko Annita Averof 2026 1536x1024 Relevant News Alliances become new battleground in DISY presidential race 6 September 2026 Dollar rallies as oil surge revives rate-hike bets 6 September 2026 Public service hiring overhaul targets two-year recruitment delays 6 September 2026 Frixos Dalitis 6 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Who can build alliances with other political forces — and how much weight will that carry in shifting the balance inside DISY as the party moves towards choosing its candidate for the presidential election? That question has been circulating in DISY circles in recent days, including at the party’s Pindarou headquarters, after attention turned to provisions in the party statute governing electoral alliances. Under the statute, agreements with other parties are approved by the Political Bureau and ratified by DISY’s Supreme Council. But can such alliances influence the internal contest for the presidential nomination? The discussion has gained momentum amid reports that former DISY leader Averof Neophytou has already secured, or could secure, support from two or perhaps three other political forces for a presidential bid. His podcast appearance with MEP Fidias Panayiotou, his recent language on the Cyprus problem and his acknowledgement of mistakes DISY should have recognised — including references to the rejection of the Ghali Set of Ideas and the collapse of the Crans-Montana talks — have fuelled speculation about where he is looking for support. According to information available, those scenarios are not entirely without foundation. That, in turn, has triggered another discussion: whether Neophytou could gain an advantage over DISY president Annita Demetriou by entering the internal race with external alliances already lined up. What does the party statute say? Articles 31.1 and 31.2 of DISY’s statute set out the framework for electoral cooperation. Article 31.1 states that the party’s basic principle is to contest elections in the political and public life of the country either with its own candidates or by supporting candidates who agree with its programme, objectives and positions. It also allows DISY, following a Political Bureau decision ratified by the Supreme Council, to cooperate with other parties, groups or individuals in a specific election. Article 31.2 assigns responsibility for negotiations on electoral cooperation to the party’s Executive Bureau, with any agreement subject to approval by the Political Bureau. The provisions do not, however, change the procedure for choosing DISY’s own presidential candidate. Under changes adopted at the party’s latest statutory congress, that decision will be made by the full party membership. There is also a precedent from 2013. Nicos Anastasiades had secured DIKO’s support for the presidential election, but DISY still held an internal process to choose its candidate. Anastasiades defeated Eleni Theocharous, who had also sought the party nomination. That provides an important reference point as the presidential debate gathers pace inside DISY. Demetriou sought to lower the temperature during a television appearance on Sigma on Tuesday, but the contest has already begun to dominate discussion within the party. The latest meeting Demetriou and Neophytou held an initial discussion about the presidential election on Thursday. Onoufrios Koullas accompanied Demetriou, while Vasilis Rologis attended with Neophytou. Some within DISY argue that senior and historic party figures should hold wider discussions in an effort to prevent another period of internal turmoil and find a common way forward. The meeting, however, did not settle the issue, with both sides continuing to advance their own arguments. The centre-right, Fidias, Volt and DIPA Alliances are already a major talking point across the broader centre-right. They could become one of the strongest cards available to the various players as the road to the 2028 presidential election unfolds. That is why Demetriou’s comments last Wednesday about a possible centre-right alliance drew particular attention. “There must be a centre-right alliance. That is our identity,” the DISY president said. In her view, this is the political course that delivered results in previous years and remains the direction the country needs. Her remarks immediately prompted another question: a centre-right alliance with whom? A potential DISY-DIKO partnership could prove decisive in a presidential contest. But the political circumstances are complicated. DISY is in opposition and heading towards a process to select its presidential candidate, while DIKO remains a central pillar of President Nikos Christodoulides’ government. Figures around the Presidential Palace also reacted to Demetriou’s comments, viewing them as an attempt to claim the government’s political ground. Christodoulides has repeatedly described his administration as centre-right. From that perspective, those around the President argue that a broader centre-right alliance could instead be built around Christodoulides — with the door open to DISY. Despite how distant a DISY-DIKO presidential alliance may currently appear, particularly following the latest government reshuffle, the possibility has not been definitively ruled out. Figures at Pindarou would favour such an arrangement and would be prepared to strongly back DIKO leader Nicolas Papadopoulos for the presidency of Parliament as part of the wider political equation. Such a decision, however, would not depend on Papadopoulos alone. At the same time, signals reportedly coming from people around the DIKO president have helped keep speculation alive. The discussion was also fuelled by comments from DIKO Nicosia MP Chrysis Pantelides, one of Papadopoulos’ closest associates, in an interview with Phileleftheros last Sunday. Pantelides spoke of what he described as a de facto DISY-DIKO partnership in Parliament, saying the two parties have voted together on most issues on a weekly basis in recent years. He pointed to cooperation which, in his view, helped rescue the economy and take Cyprus out of the bailout programme, while supporting the country’s alliances and strengthening its Western European orientation. “So, in my view, we are not only talking about the prospect of centre-right cooperation, but essentially about an existing, de facto partnership, with a past and a present and with specific results and achievements,” Pantelides said. “Whether this de facto, informal but effective cooperation will move beyond Parliament and extend to government is something I cannot predict at this stage, but I have no hesitation in saying that I fully support such a scenario.” Asked whether DISY and DIKO could cooperate behind a candidate standing against Christodoulides, Pantelides left the question open. “You are raising crucial and certainly very interesting questions, but, as I said before, the Democratic Party will have to answer them ‘at the right time’. Any answer now would undermine the party’s position and leverage in the months ahead,” he said. Neophytou appears to be pursuing a different path. A traditional centre-right alliance built around his own candidacy appears less likely. But speculation centres instead on possible support from Fidias Panayiotou’s Direct Democracy movement, given the particularly good relationship the two have developed. It is widely known within political circles that Neophytou helped direct Panayiotou towards supporting Demetriou in the election for president of Parliament. Neophytou also chose Panayiotou’s podcast as the platform for a series of politically significant statements. Many therefore see potential support from Direct Democracy as a realistic possibility if Neophytou himself is DISY’s presidential candidate. That does not mean the same support would automatically extend to another DISY nominee. His comments on the Cyprus problem — including criticism of Glafcos Clerides over the Ghali Set of Ideas during the 1993 presidential election and his later criticism of Anastasiades over Crans-Montana — have also been interpreted by some as an opening towards Volt. Volt currently has no leadership following resignations after the parliamentary elections, but Neophytou is understood to have channels of communication with figures from that political space and may be looking towards possible support. There is also speculation about a rapprochement with DIPA leader Marios Garoyian, potentially opening the way for backing from DIPA amid dissatisfaction within the party following its parliamentary election result. Some people around Neophytou also include disgruntled EDEK supporters in their calculations. For now, these remain scenarios. But Neophytou is expected to use them as political arguments in favour of his candidacy, particularly for the crucial first round. His case would be that his candidacy can attract support from a broader range of voters and political forces, with further alliance opportunities in a second round. That would be put forward as a counterweight to Demetriou’s popularity and DISY’s polling figures. The argument from Neophytou’s side is that a Demetriou candidacy would struggle to attract support from these political forces, while DIKO remains part of the government and ELAM has already said, since the election for president of Parliament, that it would not support her. This issue also appears to have been touched on during the meeting between Demetriou and Neophytou on Thursday. Annita still holds the key Demetriou has not publicly revealed her intentions. The message coming from people around her is that she has not made a final decision and is giving the matter serious thought. She appears to have told Neophytou the same during Thursday’s meeting, while stressing that she has every right to seek the party nomination. Her dilemma concerns both DISY’s future and her own political career. If she enters the contest, the calculation is that she has to win. A defeat either in the internal party vote or in the first round of the presidential election could severely damage her political prospects, perhaps prematurely. If she remains outside the race and stays politically prominent, however, 2033 could offer a far easier route to the presidency. The difficult question for Demetriou and those around her is how she should proceed and what the alternative would be. Earlier in the week, she said DISY would contest the presidency with its own candidate and reiterated that the party would not support Christodoulides. Neither position is new. The bigger question is whether she could ultimately stand aside for Neophytou. According to concerns being voiced at Pindarou, based on polling cited by party figures, Neophytou would not make it into the second round and could not win the election. Such an outcome would be viewed as disastrous for DISY and its prospects afterwards. As party president, Demetriou would also bear significant political costs if the party’s candidate suffered such a result. There also appears to be resistance among a section of DISY supporters to Neophytou returning as the party’s presidential candidate. Some see that as a step backwards. His recent positions on the Cyprus problem have also caused unease among a significant part of DISY’s traditional support base. The response from former DISY deputy president and former finance minister Harris Georgiades, who wrote critically about Neophytou’s references to the Ghali ideas and Glafcos Clerides’ position, has therefore been viewed as significant. Former foreign minister and longstanding DISY figure Ioannis Kasoulides went further, making comments widely interpreted as indicating that Demetriou should be the party’s candidate. Kasoulides had strongly backed Neophytou in the 2023 presidential election. ‘Is Annita ready?’ At the same time, another question is being discussed among DISY officials and members. “Is Annita really ready for the presidency?” The response from supporters of her candidacy is that “she will have DISY behind her”. There also appears to be another source of concern behind the scenes which, for now, has not surfaced publicly. The wider calculation has been further complicated by former health minister Giorgos Pamboridis’ latest television appearance. Pamboridis repeated his intention to seek DISY’s presidential nomination and also spoke about organised crime in politics. His comments prompted reaction and speculation, although he offered no further explanation. What is not being said: Averof and Annita, together or apart Two concerns are circulating particularly strongly in DISY’s inner circles. The first is what Neophytou ultimately decides to do. One question is increasingly being posed rhetorically, but also as a clear warning and source of pressure: “If Averof cannot win the election, can Annita win an election without Averof?” That is where the calculations become much more difficult. If Neophytou, in one way or another, ends up standing against Demetriou, her chances of reaching the second round would become considerably harder, particularly given that a consistent section of DISY voters is expected to support Christodoulides, as happened in 2023. Whether Neophytou runs himself, with the Cyprus problem as a central theme of his campaign, or simply chooses not to actively work for Demetriou’s candidacy, the assessment within party circles is that she would face a serious problem. Neophytou’s comments that he could support Christodoulides if there were a prospect of a new Guterres framework leading to a strategic agreement — made only hours after Demetriou’s interview — are also not being viewed as coincidental. It is even being suggested that, under certain conditions, Neophytou could ultimately find himself alongside Christodoulides. In practical terms, such a scenario is still regarded as remote. But the speculation and the messages being allowed to circulate are clearly directed at Pindarou and the DISY leadership. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Dollar rallies as oil surge revives rate-hike bets Public service hiring overhaul targets two-year recruitment delays Fuel prices surge again as diesel nears record highs Turkey turns occupied north into military hub as regional tensions rise Cyprus temperatures to reach 38°C as seasonal low pressure hits Ronald Meinardus: Saxony-Anhalt election tests Germany’s resistance to the far right Sophia Christodoulou Makri becomes first woman and youngest leader to head EDEK Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.