Annita Demetriou calls crisis talks as DISY internal rifts spill into public view

Politics annita demetrioudisyTop News Annita Demetriou calls crisis talks as DISY internal rifts spill into public view Annita Diplaros Karousos Tornaritis 1536x1024 Relevant News Annita Demetriou calls crisis talks as DISY internal rifts spill into public view 18 September 2026 Minister rebuts €23 estimate, says low-income pensioners will gain €237 under pension reform 18 September 2026 Binge it or skip it: The Bloodhounds return with raw violence and relentless action 18 September 2026 Frixos Dalitis 18 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber DISY president Annita Demetriou has called a leadership meeting for Monday, the party’s first since summer, in an attempt to defuse a public dispute between deputy leader Efthymios Diplarou and vice-president Giannis Karousos. The meeting comes as DISY also works to contain fallout from President Nikos Christodoulides’s appointment of Nikos Tornaritis, until last May the party’s parliamentary spokesperson, as special envoy on the Cyprus problem to countries in Africa and Asia. The appointment has irritated party headquarters, and DISY wants the matter played down. Diplarou and Karousos take their dispute further in public The two officials made their disagreement plainer than before on Wednesday. In a late-afternoon post, Diplarou said party unity must come first, arguing that political disagreement should never turn into personal attacks or attempts to distort another member’s record. He said his own positions were clear, public and consistently known, and that he would keep fighting his political battles “with arguments, clear language and political ethos.” He added that the choice of DISY’s 2028 presidential candidate would be decided by the party through its collective and democratic processes, not by personal ambition or backstage disputes, concluding that “DISY is greater than our personal disagreements.” Karousos replied shortly afterwards, saying he agreed that decisions should be made collectively through the party’s institutional bodies, away from personal ambition and political manoeuvring. He said one collective decision already stood and had to be respected by everyone: that DISY is in opposition. Collective decisions, he said, “cannot apply à la carte,” being invoked when convenient and ignored otherwise. He said the 2028 candidate would likewise be decided through the party’s democratic processes once the time came, adding: “This means consistency. This means collectivity. This means unity in practice.” Neophytou: problems exist in every party Former DISY leader Averof Neophytou, speaking on RIK’s morning show, said problems exist in every party and referred questions about both the Tornaritis appointment and the Diplarou-Karousos dispute to the people directly involved. “I know what it’s like to be shut out by your own side,” he said, adding that he considers himself a victim of politics rather than a practitioner of it. Neophytou also discussed the 2028 presidential race, saying he expects clarity by December on whether efforts to reach a Cyprus settlement are close to a result or still far off. Asked whether he would be prepared to run for president outside DISY’s own party procedures, he gave no direct answer, saying the party has a tradition of finding solutions. Asked what he would do if he won the DISY nomination and substantive progress then followed on the Cyprus problem, he said he would withdraw his candidacy and ask the party to stand behind the president. Neophytou’s remarks came two days after he visited the Presidential Palace on Tuesday to discuss developments on the Cyprus problem with Christodoulides. Tornaritis defends his appointment Tornaritis appeared visibly irritated on Wednesday over criticism from DISY members for accepting the appointment from Christodoulides, telling OMEGA’s midday show that Demetriou had known about his meetings with the president. He said some people were trying to belittle individuals or spread mud, and stressed: “I am not a DISY cadre.” He said Christodoulides had called on him based on his experience and the need for envoys working full-time on Cyprus’s behalf. After accepting the president’s offer, he said, he informed Demetriou and the party leadership on Wednesday morning; asked what Demetriou had said to him, he replied that she had wished him well. Tornaritis added that he has been “a DISY man from birth” and joined the party because he believed in Glafkos Clerides. Demetriou’s veiled response Demetriou addressed the matter indirectly through a social media post that did not name Tornaritis but was widely read as directed at her former close adviser. She said she was concerned by recent comments from the UN Secretary-General, who had said he did not see the developments needed to convene a five- or three-party meeting on the Cyprus problem on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, and who had noted that there was still a lot of work to be done. With Guterres’s term nearing its end, she said, DISY’s priority had to be creating the conditions for substantive negotiations on the Cyprus problem. She added: “The last thing we should be concerned with right now is being consumed by micro-politics, spasmodic moves and appointments. All of this takes us further from what’s needed.” Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Minister rebuts €23 estimate, says low-income pensioners will gain €237 under pension reform Binge it or skip it: The Bloodhounds return with raw violence and relentless action Weekend agenda: three spots worth the trip Surveillance and economic pressure undermine Greek media freedom, report finds Cloudy with 31 degree peak on Friday Brazilian pair remain in custody over Kornos fire after appeal rejected Cyprus to use Digital Citizen for social media age checks Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.