Former health minister Giorgos Pamborides has launched a sharp public response to Disy vice-president Yiannis Karousos, escalating tensions over the party's internal process to select its candidate for the next presidential election.
The dispute follows the public support expressed for Pamborides by Harris Georgiades and Stella Kyriakidou ahead of the party's internal contest.
Pamborides accuses officials of double standards
In a social media post, Pamborides criticised unnamed party officials whom he accused of attempting to silence party members and MPs while simultaneously campaigning for their preferred candidate.
"With sadness, I am watching the regrettable actions and statements of certain party officials," he said.
Using particularly strong language, Pamborides claimed some officials had sought to impose an "omertà" on party members and the parliamentary group while presenting themselves as defenders of party unity.
He argued that criticism emerged only when senior party figures publicly expressed support for candidates who did not fit the preferred narrative.
Reference to party values
The former minister also accused those officials of acting contrary to the principles of the party.
"They offend every principle and value of Disy. A pity for our history. Disy is light and not darkness," he wrote.
Karousos called for neutrality
Pamborides' intervention came in response to comments made on Wednesday by Karousos following the endorsements from Georgiades and Kyriakidou.
Karousos said the internal election was a democratic process in which every member has the right to support the candidate of their choice.
At the same time, he argued that people who have held senior state or party positions with the backing of Disy have a greater responsibility to safeguard party unity and maintain equal distance during public interventions.
Warning against internal divisions
Karousos also cautioned against presenting personal preferences as a "one-way street" or implying withdrawal from the collective effort if a preferred candidate is not selected.
Such approaches, he said, could create divisions within the party.
"The grassroots membership belongs to no one. It decides freely and its decision must be respected by everyone, without conditions or ultimatums," he stated.
