The major parties are in a state of flux, and the political center is once again seeking to define its role
The campaign season for the 2028 presidential election may not have officially begun, but the countdown for interested candidates and parties has already started.
Following the parliamentary elections in May and the 2023 presidential election, the political landscape has turned a new page. The parties are gauging their strength, seeking allies, and evaluating potential candidates, while behind the public statements, a much more complex process of discussions regarding new alliances and shifts in political camps is underway.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The focus now is not only on who will be a candidate, but on who will be able to build a genuine political coalition around them.
This may well be the big challenge of the 2028 presidential election.
DISY is called upon to select a candidate
Within the Democratic Rally, the discussion has already moved to a more concrete level.
The names of party President Annita Dimitriou, former President Averof Neophytou, and Member of Parliament Giorgos Pamborides are already on the table, while the appointment of former DISY parliamentary spokesperson Nikos Tornaritis as Special Political Envoy of the President of the Republic for the Cyprus Issue in Asian and African countries has opened new fronts of conflict within the party leadership. At the same time, I don’t think anyone believes Nicos Christodoulides when he says this appointment had no pre-election motive.
The party leadership has stated that DISY will field its own candidate. The crucial question, therefore, is which candidate will be chosen and what political alliance will accompany that choice.
At the same time, depending on political developments—particularly regarding the Cyprus issue—it cannot be ruled out that voices within Synagermos will once again be heard in favor of supporting President Christodoulides.
AKEL Makes Its Position Clear
On the other hand, AKEL has already set the 2028 presidential election as a strategic goal and has made it clear through Stefanos Stefanou that a candidacy that does not prioritize a solution to theon the agreed basis and within the agreed framework is not an option.
Various names have already emerged in the discussion regarding the Left’s candidacy, but Andreas Mavroyiannis is considered the frontrunner to receive the nomination—a figure with political name recognition from his previous run in the 2023 presidential election.
The Center
Perhaps the biggest question mark for the coming months concerns the center.
DIKO has not yet finalized its strategy for 2028 and is monitoring developments, while at the same time figures from the broader centrist spectrum are leaving open the possibility of an independent political proposal.
A notable example is the recent public statement by Kyriakos Kenevezos, who spoke of the need for an “independent and modern proposal” from the Center, without ruling out the possibility that he himself might play a role in these developments.
At the same time, DIKO holds three ministerial posts in the current government, whose holders state that support for President Christodoulides must continue, but there is also a faction of party officials who wish to cooperate with the Democratic Rally.
And, of course, there is Nikos Christodoulides
The President of the Republic may state that he has not yet made a decision regarding the 2028 presidential election, but it is widely assumed that he will seek a second term.
His presence as the incumbent President creates a different political reality for the other parties, which must plan their strategies with a candidate seeking re-election as their opponent. During the 2023 pre-election campaign, Nikos Christodoulides generated tremendous momentum around himself, suggesting he could win the election against any opponent in the second round. This so-called “victory narrative” worked in his favor, allowing him to build—or even forge—new alliances with parties and social groups that supported him.
Given the wear and tear that comes with governing, and taking recent polls into account, the current “picture” of his prospects for victory is entirely different.
Allies are the key
As time goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that the 2028 presidential election will not be merely a contest of names.
It will also be a contest of political alliances.
DISY will have to decide which candidate will represent its platform. First and foremost, however, it must develop that platform and craft a narrative.
AKEL is seeking broader collaborations and appears to be leaning toward Mavroyiannis.
DIKO and the other centrist parties are called upon to decide whether they will operate as part of a larger coalition or attempt to chart a different course.
And Nikos Christodoulides, should he run for a second term, will face a political landscape entirely different from that of 2023. DIPA and EDEK are now out of Parliament, and even the support of DIKO is not guaranteed.
The battle has begun
Cyprus’s political landscape is in the process of being reshaped.
The focus in the coming months will not be solely on polls and names. It will lie in the meetings, in what lies behind the words in public statements, but also in the moves that will take place away from the cameras.
Because a lot can change by 2028. This is particularly true regarding the Cyprus issue, which, while remaining at a standstill despite Guterres’s arrival, also runs the risk—according to political assessments—of having already entered the phase of a final attempt; if the long-awaited solution is found, it may well be closed as a chapter once and for all—at least in the form in which it is currently being addressed.
As we approach 2028, one question will become increasingly pressing:
Who will be able to represent the voters who currently remain politically homeless?
The answer has neither been given nor can it be predicted. But the battle has begun.
