The leadership of DISY has called on party members to move beyond what it described as the "reproduction of scenarios, petty comments and personal attacks" and instead focus on political debate, as the contest for the party's 2028 presidential nomination continues to unfold.
The appeal came on a day when Annita Demetriou, George Pamporidis, parliamentary spokesman Demetris Demetriou and MEP Loukas Fourlas all spoke publicly about the race, underlining that while Demetriou's withdrawal has closed one chapter of the contest, it has not produced a unified approach for the period leading up to the vote.
Demetriou rejects pressure claims
In its statement, party headquarters on Pindarou Avenue described Demetriou's withdrawal as a "decision of responsibility and victory," arguing that by placing the party's collective interest above her own ambitions she secured a commitment from all sides to respect the verdict of party members and support whoever emerges as the nominee.
Earlier, Demetriou used an appearance on Sigma TV to firmly reject reports suggesting her withdrawal resulted from pressure, deals or blackmail.
"Dignity cannot be slandered," she said.
Demetriou said she had reached her decision on Thursday evening after concluding that the situation within the party had become unsustainable.
"It was the decision that would unlock the deadlock."
She also revealed that she informed George Pamporidis of her intention before the meeting in her office where the withdrawal was formally announced and said he had attempted to change her mind.
Pamporidis: 'There was no blackmail'
Speaking to CyBC, George Pamporidis, who is contesting the nomination against Averof Neophytou, also dismissed the speculation.
Present at the meeting alongside Neophytou and Alithia publisher Frixos Koullermos, Pamporidis described the gathering as a brief discussion lasting between 15 and 20 minutes.
"There was no blackmail."
He characterised the wider discussion as gossip and said Demetriou withdrew to ensure that Neophytou would remain within the party's internal process.
Pamporidis acknowledged that he had previously proposed avoiding an internal election altogether to prevent divisions from deepening. Now that a vote is unavoidable, he said he intends to make it a "healing process" for the party.
He argued that members should ask themselves which candidate is best placed to prevent a repeat of the 2023 election outcome against both a broader left-wing candidate and President Nikos Christodoulides.
Support emerging within the party
One of the first figures close to Demetriou to publicly declare support for Pamporidis was Michalis Ioannides, coordinator of DISY's Government Monitoring Council.
In an interview with Kathimerini, Ioannides said he supports Pamporidis because they share a reformist agenda and a clear anti-populist approach.
He stressed that his position is personal and does not represent either the party leader or DISY itself.
Pamporidis welcomed the endorsement on social media, saying his candidacy hopes to unite the party's grassroots supporters.
Demetris Demetriou calls for neutrality
Parliamentary spokesman Demetris Demetriou adopted a different position.
Speaking to Omega TV, he revealed for the first time that he too had received encouragement to seek the nomination but had decided against doing so because he does not believe the timing is right.
At Tuesday's parliamentary group meeting, he plans to ask DISY MPs not to publicly endorse any candidate, arguing that they should remain able to guarantee party unity after the contest is over.
Demetriou also spoke of mistakes in how the situation had been managed, saying responsibility extended to the party leadership and himself.
"Unity has become an empty declaration."
He described the current period as potentially one of the most critical moments in DISY's history and said the party must answer not only who its candidate should be, but also how it differs politically from the Christodoulides administration.
Fourlas rules himself out
MEP Loukas Fourlas also sought to end speculation that he could emerge as a third candidate.
In a written statement, the head of the Cypriot delegation to the European People's Party said he had received encouragement from party officials and grassroots members to enter the race after Demetriou's withdrawal.
However, he reiterated that he has never been interested in pursuing "any high office".
Fourlas also expressed regret that his proposal to avoid an internal election and instead seek a consensus candidate had not been adopted.
"Above individuals, ambitions and internal party procedures stands the Democratic Rally."
Third candidate still possible
Nominations remain open until 26 October, with party members due to vote on 28 November.
Unlike in 2022, the nomination will be decided through a ballot of party members.
Whether a third candidate enters the race remains unclear.
Pamporidis said he had deliberately avoided contacting individuals whose names have been mentioned in order to avoid any suggestion of influencing them and would wait for their decisions.
Demetris Demetriou, meanwhile, noted that "two weeks is a long time in politics."
