Andreas Mavroyiannis, who ran against President Nikos Christodoulides in the 2023 presidential elections, has commented on a video circulating on the X platform which contains allegations of illegal campaign funding, suggesting the timing of its release is not coincidental.
“We always suspected that there were large illegal funding streams. That does not mean that anything will now happen because of what is coming out,” Andreas Mavroyiannis said in a statement following the publication of the video on X, which refers to alleged illegal funding of the election campaign of President Nikos Christodoulides.
Mavroyiannis acknowledged that “there are certainly ulterior motives,” but added that he has reasons to believe that “in essence, large-scale illegal funding in exchange for favours did take place.” He further claimed that the developments may also be linked to the reaction of Russian actors who allegedly financed Christodoulides with significant amounts and now feel “betrayed”. “The timing is not coincidental,” he said.
The remarks by Mavroyiannis have drawn attention among observers, as they echo past statements made by Margaritis Schinas during a New Democracy party congress.
Speaking off script from the podium of the New Democracy congress, the European Commissioner had made pointed remarks suggesting possible Russian interference in the Cypriot presidential elections, indirectly referring to a specific candidate.
In the part of his speech addressing developments in Ukraine, Schinas said that for more than 70 days the European family, together with allies in the United States and Asia, had been united against the war, condemning those who kill and displace civilians and destroy cultural heritage. He then added, looking towards at the time DISY leader and presidential candidate Averof Neofytou, and speaking off script: “My friend Averof, I want you to know that we will not allow them to play games in Cyprus, in the presidential election of Cyprus. Cyprus will remain European and Western, and you will be the carrier of this great effort, and we will stand by you.”
The remarks raised questions at the time as to whom the European Commissioner was referring and which candidate he was implicitly pointing to, given that Christodoulides, then foreign minister, had broken with the party line to run independently in the February 2023 presidential election.