Annita Demetriou revealed to Emilia Kenevezou, in an interview on Alpha, that her initial reaction was to accept Haris Georgiades' resignation following his remarks that he would not support Averof, even if he were DISY's official candidate.
However, after consulting the rest of the party leadership, she decided to try to defuse the situation. She said she had already spoken by telephone to Anastasiades' former Finance Minister and that a meeting between them was being arranged.
The DISY president stressed that holding a different opinion could not be grounds for exclusion from the party, insisting on the need to keep the lines of communication open between party officials.
On the other hand, Haris will also have to clear up a rumour that is circulating widely among people close to the Presidential Palace: that his statement was made in coordination with others and that he has already secured a commissioner post for 2028, should Christodoulides be elected.
There is also talk that around ten prominent DISY members will publicly turn against Foulis politically if he makes it through the party's internal selection process, declaring that they will not support him.
The Greens: renewal or refurbishment?
On 14 November, the Greens will go to the polls, with veteran Kyriakos Tsimillis and young Katerina Hatzistylli standing against each other.
According to information available to this column, 75-year-old Tsimillis is heading for victory, as he also enjoys the backing of other party veterans, who hold a majority according to the membership lists.
In short, the party is not heading for renewal, but for a refurbishment.
Christos Christou re-elected unopposed
Christos Christou is once again set to become president of ELAM unopposed. Democratic procedures at their finest.
One clarification, though. As we have been told ever since the party of tough guys was founded, nobody has ever wanted to stand against Christos Christou.
He himself would like to have an opponent, but nobody dares. Why on earth could that be?
AKEL and political consistency
AKEL really does have a curious understanding of political consistency, despite all its talk about it.
"Our aim is to keep DISY and Christodoulides out," they tell us, lumping the two together because Christodoulides is part of the governing camp.
Yet, at the same time, they are fighting tooth and nail to attract DIKO, which has six ministers serving in the Christodoulides government!
As you can imagine, AKEL people always know how to present an issue. First of all, they know how to sell the idea that whatever they do is gospel, while whatever the others do is problematic.
It seems they are overlooking one small detail. If they fail to make it into the second round and we end up with an Averof-Christodoulides run-off, half of AKEL will vote for Foulis. Now that would be something to watch!
In short, comrades, keep your feet on the ground, drop the populism and start thinking about who your candidate will be next January, if you want to make it into the second round.
Four crossing points may be on the way
They were quick to tear Holguin down for meeting the Turkish ambassador, yet, on the other hand, they are welcoming the renewed momentum on the Cyprus issue at the Presidential Palace.
The momentum, of course, came as a result of that very meeting with the Turkish ambassador, who conveyed a message to Ms Holguin concerning the crossing points, which he was supposed to pass on to Nikos Christodoulides.
As we understand it, Christodoulides' response was positive, so it looks as though we are heading towards the opening of four crossing points.
If all goes well, the relevant announcement will be made on 9 November, during the trilateral meeting.
The new development concerning the crossing points is the opening of a route from Karavostasi towards Kambos Tsakkistras and Kykkos Monastery.
The Turkish Cypriots have long been requesting an easy passage in this direction. To begin with, there are some Turkish Cypriots who go to worship at Panagia Kykkotissa, but most want access to the Troodos mountains when it snows.
Averof, Christodoulides and the Cyprus issue
It looks as though some serious developments on the Cyprus issue may finally be in the offing, and Averof Neophytou is having second thoughts.
Remember his promise that, should developments occur on the Cyprus issue, the priority would be to support the President and put the presidential elections to one side, since the homeland is above all else, more precious and sacred than anything.
According to our information, if developments emerge following the 9 November trilateral meeting, and the UN Secretary-General calls a five-party conference, Averof will suspend his election campaign and stand alongside the President.
Christodoulides' visit to Antalya for the environmental conference is also important. Initially, he was due to arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon.
Now, however, an overnight stay is being discussed, along with the possibility of holding a number of meetings.
You can appreciate that things may finally be moving in the right direction.
As for the road towards a settlement, Christodoulides will be carrying the Crans-Montana minutes, Averof the new document on convergences, while Kombos will lead the way with the censer, chanting the hymn "Hail Mary Angela".
Cyprus under fire over support for UAE candidate for UN chief
Cyprus is taking a considerable beating over its decision to support Lana Nusseibeh's candidacy for the post of UN Secretary-General.
The criticism is not based solely on the United Arab Emirates' involvement in the war in Sudan, but also on the candidate's own stance towards the allegations.
As the UAE's representative at the UN for many years and a senior figure in its foreign policy establishment, she has publicly defended Abu Dhabi's positions.
On 28 October 2026, Human Rights Watch published a particularly critical statement on her candidacy, accusing her of having spent years downplaying or denying human rights abuses linked to UAE policy in Sudan and Yemen.
Sudan took the UAE to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing it of violating the Genocide Convention through its support for the RSF rebels.
On 5 May 2025, the Court dismissed the case on the grounds that it lacked jurisdiction to hear it. It did not rule on the substance of the allegations and therefore neither acquitted nor convicted the Emirates.
Nevertheless, the available evidence provides significant grounds for concluding that networks linked to the UAE have provided military and logistical support to the RSF, strengthening their capacity to conduct operations.
Training civil servants to handle complaints
We are going to hire a team of communications consultants to train employees at the Deputy Ministry of Social Insurance on how to respond to citizens lodging complaints.
We will be spending tens of thousands of euros on complaint management because some civil servants either fail to do their jobs or take far too long to do them.
In our humble opinion, that money would be much better spent training employees to do their jobs properly in the first place.
Famagusta and the President's proposal
The President of the Republic summoned the Famagusta Municipal Council to brief them – apparently – on his proposal for the opening of Famagusta.
During the briefing, everyone realised that, give or take, the President's proposal was the same one submitted under Tassos Papadopoulos in 2006 and rejected by the Turks.
Nevertheless, he asked them to endorse it as soon as they walked out of his office, which is precisely what they did.
He also advised them to request a meeting with Holguin in order to give the President's proposal further momentum. The city's mayor duly complied, with considerable enthusiasm.
Holguin eventually invited them too, just as she had done with the Morphou delegation.
The people of Kyrenia reacted, quite understandably. But they need not worry. Mr President will take care of them too.
