Is Christodoulides opening the door to ELAM? The shifting alliances shaping 2028

Politics parliamentTop News Is Christodoulides opening the door to ELAM? The shifting alliances shaping 2028 Xristodoulides Annita Averof Nikolas Xristou Proedriko 1536x982 Relevant News Is Christodoulides opening the door to ELAM? The shifting alliances shaping 2028 13 September 2026 Ankara’s regional power game weighs on Cyprus talks 13 September 2026 Temperatures to reach 37°C with isolated mountain rain possible 13 September 2026 Frixos Dalitis 13 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Last Thursday, the Council of Ministers announced a series of appointments to the boards of semi-governmental and other organisations, including the Cyprus Youth Board. Among those appointed was Zafeiro Kastanou, who stood as an ELAM candidate in the last parliamentary elections. It was an appointment that could hardly pass unnoticed. Could this be Nikos Christodoulides’ first small political opening towards ELAM? The appointment of a single board member to an organisation such as the Youth Board may mean nothing at all. But it could also be the first tentative step towards strengthening, now on a more formal level, the relationship between the government and ELAM. Appointments to the boards of public organisations, after all, invariably carry a political dimension. Something else had already happened earlier in the week: Marios Pelekanos sent a letter to Annita Demetriou. The ELAM MP and spokesman demanded explanations and an internal investigation into the leak of a document concerning the purchase of the president’s armoured limousine. In doing so, ELAM appeared to adopt and defend Christodoulides’ position that a confidential document had been leaked from parliament — a claim the president had made the previous Saturday when the issue first became public. ELAM’s upgraded role The political developments of the past week may point to a changing landscape across the broader centre-right, stretching as far as the fringes of the far right — or the more “popular right”, as ELAM’s leadership and officials describe themselves. One way or another, ELAM is taking on an increasingly important role as a potential kingmaker in the 2028 presidential election. The party has not yet begun its own presidential election process, while next month it is expected to enter a cycle of internal party elections. Even so, the question of what ELAM will do in the presidential race — and whether it will again field its own candidate, as it did in 2018 and 2023 — has become an important part of the wider political equation. That equation is being shaped by a DISY showing signs of fragmentation, differing voices emerging within DIKO and DIPA still trying to find its political footing. The examples of Germany and Sweden ELAM doubled its electoral strength in the last parliamentary elections. Its final share of the vote, however, was more restrained than opinion polls had suggested. There may be several explanations for that, but one thing is clear: ELAM has become far less politically taboo and has, to a significant degree, been normalised and absorbed into Cyprus’s political system as its most conservative force on the right. ELAM itself has contributed significantly to this shift. For several years, it has sought to operate more like a conventional political party, trying to leave behind its past and its former links with Golden Dawn in Greece. As its leadership has repeatedly made clear, ELAM’s goal is to gain executive power. The route towards that goal runs through political cooperation. The picture is not, of course, quite so simple. But an informal working relationship with the Presidential Palace does exist, particularly through ELAM’s former DISY wing. Andreas Papacharalambous and Marios Pelekanos are two figures who maintain close relations with Nikos Christodoulides. At European level, the broader political environment is also becoming more favourable to this kind of cooperation. The AfD’s victory in Germany has been, and remains, a subject of political debate across Europe. In today’s elections in Sweden, the far right is seen as having a strong chance of securing participation in government. Could Cyprus be next? Could ELAM become part of the governing camp? Open backing for Nikos Christodoulides by ELAM, or cooperation from the first round of the presidential election, could carry political costs. In his latest interview with Phileleftheros, DIKO MP Chrysis Pantelides said ELAM’s support for Christodoulides would be a negative factor in any potential cooperation with the president. A deal between Christodoulides and ELAM in the second round, however, would present a different set of circumstances. During the negotiations over the presidency of parliament, after all, Nikolas Papadopoulos did not merely leave the door open to ELAM. He was in talks with the party and was hoping for its support. DISY’s three-way split ELAM’s role becomes even more important because of the fragmented landscape inside Democratic Rally. What has increasingly become a public perception also appears to be reflected in opinion polling. The latest IMR poll published by Reporter, an earlier internal Pulse survey and other polls that have not been made public all point to a similar picture inside DISY. Annita Demetriou leads the race to become the party’s presidential candidate, but Averof Neophytou retains enough support to remain within striking distance, leaving the contest open. At the same time, Nikos Christodoulides continues to command a strong base within the wider DISY electorate, estimated at between 25% and 30%. In other words, almost one in three DISY supporters remains with him. And that support is found not only among DISY voters but also among party members. That means Christodoulides, through the party’s pro-Christodoulides camp, could potentially influence even the outcome of DISY’s internal elections. The scenario of a rebel candidate The latest IMR poll also asked DISY members whether they would be prepared to vote for a rebel candidate. The reference was not, of course, to Nikos Christodoulides, but to another figure. The possibility of Averof Neophytou standing as an independent candidate outside DISY’s internal procedures is now being discussed as either a concern or a possible course of action, following a series of statements and interventions by the former party president. As Christodoulides makes gains among the more right-wing section of the conservative electorate and the official DISY leadership tries, through both policy and rhetoric, to compete with him on that ground, Averof appears to be looking to his left. There is already speculation about a possible opening towards Volt, as well as Direct Democracy and Fidias Panayiotou, with whom Neophytou maintains very good relations. All of this increases the pressure on DISY headquarters and Annita Demetriou. She must deal, on one side, with the steady leakage of support towards Christodoulides and, on the other, with the prospect of a rebel candidacy that is increasingly entering the political conversation. DIKO’s many voices The differing tendencies inside DIKO, long discussed behind the scenes, are also becoming increasingly visible through public statements by senior party figures. Nikolas Papadopoulos points to the party’s collective bodies and internal procedures when asked about the presidential election, stressing that nothing should be taken for granted. Chrysis Pantelides continues to keep alive the prospect of centre-right cooperation with DISY. Christiana Erotokritou continues to argue: why not field our own candidate? Meanwhile, DIKO figures aligned with the government are effectively saying that they already have both a president and a presidential candidate. On Wednesday, Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides sent precisely that message to the DIKO leadership. Energy Minister Michalis Damianou, another party vice-president, had done the same earlier. The same answer would presumably come, if asked, from Agriculture Minister Christos Senekis, Agriculture Minister Efi Tsolaki and the director of the President’s Office, Panayiotis Palates. Other DIKO MPs also broadly follow this line. So whatever the party leadership may say or express publicly, part of DIKO is already, in one way or another, firmly tied to Nikos Christodoulides. At the same time, Nikolas Papadopoulos’ comments on the presidential election cannot be ignored, nor can his insistence on repeatedly raising the issue while also highlighting his disagreements over the Great Sea Interconnector. EDEK and DIPA remain fluid The picture is also unsettled in the two other parties participating in government. EDEK is going through a leadership transition, with all options still open over the political course it will take in the presidential election. That, however, will take time to become clear. DIPA is also in a transitional phase of restructuring and reorganisation after failing to win representation in parliament. Its officials have made no secret of their dissatisfaction at receiving no advance information about the latest government reshuffle. The party’s former vice-president, Marinos Kleanthous, has said so publicly. DIPA nevertheless has two ministers in the government who are among Nikos Christodoulides’ closest associates. All this comes as discussion has begun over a possible merger or cooperation with DIKO, including the possibility of supporting a joint presidential candidate — even though both parties currently participate in the Christodoulides government. 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