Amid continuing moves within DISY to select its candidate for the 2028 presidential election, Giorgos Pamboridis, one of those seeking the nomination, proposed yesterday that the process decided by the party’s collective bodies effectively be set aside and that the three interested contenders choose the candidate themselves through consultations outside the formal party process.
Pamboridis’ intervention on Politis radio yesterday, calling on Annita Demetriou and Averof Neophytou to meet with him before 26 October and agree on who should lead the Democratic Rally into the presidential election, may at first glance appear to be a constructive proposal capable, at the very least, of prompting serious thought.
However, when considered within the context of an internal party election, the proposal appears to be on shaky ground, with superficial elements and contradictions, even if it may seem like a bold and constructive attempt at political de-escalation.
In short, Pamboridis’ proposal comes up against the differences between the three contenders, which have so far proved impossible to bridge, as well as their individual political strategies.
The competing narratives
That is because it is impossible to ignore that the current confrontation, beyond the wider issues affecting the party as a whole, also involves a clash between personal political narratives on several levels.
Each of the three contenders starts from a completely different political position and has their own arguments in the battle for the nomination.
On the one hand, there is the institutional right of party president Annita Demetriou to seek the nomination.
Based on the current situation, Demetriou does not appear ready to relinquish her right to remain in the internal contest until the end.
For her, an agreement reached in advance “behind the scenes”, or even inside a closed room, that would override the will of party members would amount to political suicide and a downgrading of her institutional role.
On the other hand, there is Averof Neophytou, with the weight of his own experience, decades on the political front line, a strong core of support among the party membership and his arguments concerning governability and management of the Cyprus issue.
At the same time, Neophytou has invested politically in the argument that he is the only candidate capable of reaching beyond the party’s traditional boundaries.
It therefore appears unrealistic to expect him to agree to withdraw through an arrangement outside the formal party process, even though he had previously sought to secure the nomination through such a practice himself.
It should also be noted that it remains unclear whether Neophytou is prepared to seek the nomination from within the party process or whether he will ultimately remain outside the internal election.
The third option is the so-called “middle way”, which Pamboridis appears to be pursuing through his proposal.
He is seeking to present himself as the force for renewal that can express the dissatisfaction of ordinary voters.
However, his proposal that he is prepared to withdraw if his own candidacy becomes an obstacle reverses the logic of his position. It places him in the role of catalyst while simultaneously acknowledging that neither of the other two contenders is likely to do the same.
No mechanism for choosing between them
For the three to decide who is best placed to “unite and win”, they would perhaps first need to agree on a mechanism for assessing their respective prospects.
Above all, they would need commonly accepted and reliable opinion polling, both among DISY members and across Cyprus.
Under the current circumstances, it would be difficult for DISY members and voters to accept a process resembling a “gentlemen’s agreement behind closed doors”.
If the three contenders were to decide among themselves, without the involvement of the party membership, who would become the presidential candidate, such an arrangement could be interpreted as manipulation or a deal struck at the top.
That is something all three would presumably wish to avoid.
