Former President Nicos Anastasiades has triggered an open disagreement within DISY after proposing a pre-arranged agreement with President Nikos Christodoulides for mutual support in the second round of the 2028 presidential election, at a time when the party is preparing for the submission of candidacies for its presidential nomination.
Anastasiades' proposal
Speaking on the ant1live podcast with Thiseas Ioannou, Anastasiades argued in favour of an understanding with the current president based on clear and strictly defined terms, under which the two sides would support one another in the event of a second-round contest.
He disagreed with both the timing and manner in which the race for the DISY nomination was launched, saying discussions on political alliances should have come first.
Anastasiades described Annita Demetriou's decision not to seek the party nomination as the correct one and revealed that he has already met George Pamboridis and intends to meet Averof Neophytou, urging both men to exercise restraint.
He added that he would support whichever candidate is ultimately selected by the party.
The former president also criticised the government over delays and the abandonment of infrastructure projects. However, he acknowledged that he agrees with the government's main directions on economic, social and foreign policy.
He nevertheless described as misguided the appointment of Nicos Tornaritis as adviser on the Cyprus issue with responsibilities covering Africa and Asia, arguing that the decision created tensions with DISY's leadership and grassroots membership.
'The door is there'
The response from DISY was immediate.
Party vice-president Giannis Karousos categorically rejected the proposal.
“We should not even open such a discussion. It sends a message of defeatism,” he told Alpha television.
Karousos argued that DISY had not rushed the nomination process and had in fact delayed it, maintaining that the party should have selected a candidate as early as September.
He also warned that anyone unwilling to support the choice made by the party base is free to leave the party.
Commenting on Averof Neophytou's proposal regarding sanctions against Russia, Karousos said it had been misunderstood because it mainly concerned fuel costs. He nevertheless stressed that it does not constitute official party policy.
AKEL takes aim
AKEL also commented on Anastasiades' intervention, issuing a statement under the headline: "Ambitions divide them, policies unite them."
The party said the proposal came as no surprise, noting that Christodoulides has repeatedly described himself as a continuation of the policies pursued by the Anastasiades administration.
According to AKEL, the differences between the Presidential Palace and DISY headquarters in Pindarou Street relate primarily to personal ambitions.
On policy, however, the party argued that the two sides remain aligned, linking their policies to corruption, Cyprus' international reputational damage and widening social inequalities.
AKEL claimed that “one continues where the other left off”.
Discussing the second round before the first
Anastasiades' proposal is based on the prospect of a mutual-support agreement that effectively assumes DISY could fail to qualify for the final runoff, as happened in 2023 when Averof Neophytou was eliminated in the first round.
Christodoulides, who previously served as foreign minister under Anastasiades, attracted substantial support from the DISY voter base during that election.
The former president has since acknowledged that he backed Christodoulides between the first and second rounds.
It is this political connection that AKEL is seeking to highlight by portraying DISY and the Presidential Palace as part of the same political space.
At the same time, differing interpretations within DISY of Neophytou's proposal on Russia sanctions underline the party's continuing lack of a unified position, both on its relationship with the government and on the issues likely to shape the platform of its future presidential candidate.
