He was not aware of it and was not invited to the dinner at the seafood restaurant, where, according to Averof Neophytou, agreements were made regarding the 2028 presidential election in exchange for securing the Speakership of the House of Representatives for another term for Anita Dimitriou, Nikos Anastasiades states, and calls on the Democratic Rally to present a united front in the elections, predicting that otherwise it will lose them.
Read also: “We Put the Cart Before the Horse”: What Anastasiades Says About Averof’s Candidacy and Developments in DISY
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Speaking on the “Alpha Kalimera” show, former President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, and when asked to state his position on the situation unfolding within DISY, he responded by referring to party procedures.
“There are democratic procedures within the party, and therefore it is not unusual for there to be one or two candidates from the same faction, as long as the provisions of the party constitution are followed and we proceed with elections. I myself was challenged in the past when I happened to run against my dear friend Eleni Theocharous for a party nomination. I prevailed; we stood united; we won. And now this must be done.”
“Even if there are some doubts at the moment, I want to hope that in the end wisdom will prevail over vanity or ambition, that the party’s procedures will be followed, and that afterward the result will be respected so we can all move forward together as one, provided that the party leadership and its collective bodies have decided that the Democratic Alarm should field its own candidate in the elections,” he continued.
When asked to comment on the fact that Mr. Neophytou did not clarify the circumstances surrounding Annita Dimitriou’s announcement, he stated that he would not comment on anyone’s announcement.
“I will state the obvious, which every serious political organization must follow, especially Cyprus’s largest party. First and foremost, they must—or rather, they should—sit down and consider how they will run their campaign—that is, how and with whom they will collaborate, if there is any prospect of success—so that they can have a chance of winning the election. And if, during the consultations, it were stipulated as a prerequisite that the candidate must come from the Democratic Rally, if they reached an agreement, they would proceed to the next step of selecting the person who would represent the party in the elections.”
When asked what it would mean for the Democratic Alarm if the party’s former president and 2023 presidential candidate were to run outside the party’s procedures, he replied that it would amount to a rift, a split.
“And it’s something that every person, every member, every citizen—if you will—who wants to see strong political forces with serious positions that still represent stability, would certainly like to see them united in their campaign. But I don’t want to comment.”
He added that, as he understands it, Mr. Neophytou will hold a press conference, expressing his belief that he will clarify whether and to what extent he will follow the bylaws and procedures.
“During his tenure, it has become standard practice for the candidate to be selected by the entire membership; after all, it was a sound proposal that he also submitted in 2023 to Nicos Christodoulides.”
When asked to comment on what happened in 2023, he states that it was a course of action taken not by the Democratic Alarm but by the then-candidate, Mr. Christodoulides not to follow such procedures and to go it alone, yet with significant support within the Democratic Rally.
Responding to Mr. Neophytou’s statements regarding Nikos Anastasiades’s interventions—which he deemed ineffective—as well as the reference to a coup within DISY, Mr. Anastasiades stated that he is not aware of any coup having taken place.
“What I do know is that, ultimately and more generally, the overall behavior and attitude—whether of certain members, whether at critical moments, whether before or after the first round of the elections—were hasty, driven by anger, by emotion rather than reason.”
When asked if he himself believes his interventions were ineffective, he answers in the negative and clarifies that he had intervened to find a way to reach an understanding, but failed, and that is a fact.
Responding to a question about whether he knew about the dinner at the fish tavern and the allegations made by Mr. Neophytou, he states that he was neither invited nor present.
“I don’t want to play the role of Maria. I doubt that many people were aware of this incident.”
He states that confirmation of the meeting came from Onoufrios Koullas. When asked if there is a risk of losing the election given what is happening in Pindarou, he replies:
“There is no doubt that if the party goes into the elections divided, without alliances, there is no doubt. The numbers speak for themselves.”
When asked to comment on the three-and-a-half years of Christodoulides’ administration, he replies that he would prefer not to comment, noting that there are both positives and negatives.
“I’m far removed from political events in the sense of active involvement or daily engagement with criticism or anything of the sort. In any case, what I want is to see the political faction of which I was a co-founder remain united for the good of the country.”
Finally, when asked if he would answer the phone in the event of a crisis, he stated that he has done so repeatedly; however, when asked if he had done so in the last few hours, he replied in the negative.
