John Christodoulou: my mind is with Disy, but my heart is with Akel

British Cypriot businessman John Christodoulou said on Thursday that “my mind is with Disy, but my heart is with Akel” as he kept open the possibility of standing in the 2028 presidential election. Speaking on Sigma, Christodoulou said the decision was difficult and could be made by early next year. He said he neither “speaks nor thinks like a politician” and that even close friends had questioned his reasoning for considering giving up his comfortable life. He cited his experience as a refugee, saying he left Cyprus aged nine and still feels the loss of land that belonged to his parents and grandparents. He said, “52 years had been lost without a solution and that Turkey must return to the negotiating table”. “I am a refugee, we need to go back to our homes, we must confront the Turk who stole our land”, he said. He also conceded within the interview his personal limitations with the Greek language, deferring repeatedly into English and acknowledging a limited vocabulary. The comments followed an interview on Wednesday with ANT1, in which he said he could not accept that no decision had been reached in over five decades of seeking to solve the Cyprus problem. Christodoulou confirmed his close personal relationship with Direct Democracy leader Fidias Panayiotou but said he was also in discussions with figures from other parties. Local media reported that Panayiotou had raised his name with party leaders, including Akel, and received no answer. Akel secretary general Stefanos Stefanou played down speculation that the party was sounding out candidates. Direct Democracy is also reportedly in talks with Odysseas Michaelides’ Alma party in regard to a joint candidate. Christodoulou owns Yianis Group, which holds hotels and flats in Canary Wharf and elsewhere in Britain. The Sunday Times Rich List 2026 puts his wealth at £2.7 billion. In Cyprus he is active mainly through the Yianis Christodoulou Foundation, and in 2021 he was reported to be close to a £30 million takeover of Omonia football club, but talks with majority owner Stavros Papastavrou reportedly collapsed. His British business affairs have drawn scrutiny, for in 2012 hotel companies in the group went into administration, costing him a Manchester Marriott and a Park Inn near Heathrow. In 2022 he reportedly admitted to a tribunal that residents at 1 West India Quay had been overcharged by 26 per cent on utilities. In March 2024 the UK government began legal action seeking £20.5 million from his companies towards fixing unsafe blocks at Canary Riverside.