Former President Nicos Anastasiades has criticised the way former DISY leader Averof Neofytou announced his candidacy for the 2028 presidential election, warning that such moves create a “risk of splitting the party”.
Anastasiades, himself a former DISY president, said sudden decisions create “an unpleasant climate” and bitterness among party members, friends and supporters, arguing that internal differences cannot be resolved in this way.
Speaking by telephone on SIGMA’s Mesimeri kai Kati programme, he called for restraint, dialogue and respect for collective party processes.
“What should prevail for every leading figure, for a leader who led the party for years, and for the current leadership, is calmness, proper consultation and the avoidance of actions that only create the risk of splitting the party,” he said.
Criticism focuses on how candidacy was announced
Anastasiades acknowledged that it had been known that Neofytou was working towards a possible presidential candidacy and stressed that he had every right to do so.
His criticism, however, focused on the manner in which the candidacy was announced, particularly given Neofytou’s previous insistence on respecting DISY’s constitution.
“When he himself is a champion, as he proclaimed, of the constitutional provisions and was so strict about adherence to the party constitution, these are things which unfortunately now fall outside proper political conduct towards party members and the party constitution more generally,” Anastasiades said.
‘We put the cart before the horse’
Anastasiades also expressed a different view on how DISY should approach the 2028 presidential election.
He argued that the party should first collectively determine with whom it might cooperate to elect a president, and only afterwards decide who should represent it.
If DISY ultimately opted for a candidate from within its own ranks, he said, the process of selecting that individual could then follow, either through consensus or the procedures set out in the party constitution.
“We put the cart before the horse,” he said.
Asked whether Neofytou should now participate in DISY’s internal process for securing the presidential nomination, Anastasiades said that if the party’s collective bodies decide to follow the prescribed democratic procedures, the former president should have no reason to be concerned about contesting the nomination.
“Everyone must realise that the unity of the party and the strength of the party, which also helps the country, come before personal ambitions,” he stressed.
Party unity ‘above personal ambitions’
Anastasiades stopped short of proposing disciplinary action against Neofytou, saying such matters should be handled by DISY’s collective bodies.
He referred to his own approach while leading the party, recalling previous periods of internal turmoil and saying he had not favoured expelling party figures.
Following the internal rupture of 2004, he said, he instead worked towards bringing members back into the party.
“Everyone who holds or has held a leadership position in this party must realise that before and above their own personal ambitions, which are legitimate, come unity and respect for the members of the party,” he said.
Treatment of Christodoulides in 2023 was ‘without doubt’ a mistake
Anastasiades also addressed the way DISY’s leadership treated Nikos Christodoulides during the previous presidential election.
Asked whether he considered it a major mistake that Christodoulides had been accused at the time of “betrayal”, Anastasiades twice replied: “Without doubt.”
He clarified that his position was not based on the fact that he supported Christodoulides in the second round of the election, but on his own understanding of how internal party disagreements should be managed and how DISY’s unity should be preserved.
Regarding DISY’s current position towards the Christodoulides government, Anastasiades said this was a decision of the party’s collective bodies which he respected.
He added that the opposition should be “constructive”.
Anastasiades declined to say whether DISY might eventually support Christodoulides or bring him back into the party, saying he did not want his personal views to influence decisions by the party’s collective bodies.
‘I try to keep my distance’
The former president also said he had not intervened in the latest developments by contacting Neofytou, DISY President Annita Demetriou or other members of the party leadership.
“I try in every way to keep my distance,” he said.
Anastasiades explained that when he had previously attempted to offer advice or suggestions, this had prompted claims that he was trying to control the party.
“I have no need to control anyone. I have no other ambitions except to see the party I served for 50 years progress, grow stronger and make the right patriotic decisions,” he concluded.
