The Member of Parliament and candidate for the DISY nomination as stated by Giorgos Pamporidis, Member of Parliament and candidate for the DISY nomination in the 2028 presidential election, from the studio of the “Alpha Enimerosi” program.
“I tend to be precise when I share my thoughts, and I think it was a sincere message to those who want to listen,” he stated when asked about the content of the video in which he announced his candidacy for the DISY nomination.
When asked whether he is ultimately willing to withdraw his candidacy if Annita Dimitriou feels she is capable of taking on the responsibility of leading the party— something he had stated on Sigma, Mr. Pamporidis replied:
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“I had explained, as I have mentioned in the past, that I respect the party’s hierarchy and structure as well as the office of the President, and in light of the constitutional amendment, I had hoped that we would not have to go through an election process precisely to avoid thetensions and passions that we are, unfortunately, now seeing unfold. And I had raised this very early on, appealing to all concerned parties so that we would not end up here. Unfortunately, my appeal fell on deaf ears.”
“My remarks reflected my state of mind at a time when we hadn’t yet reached the point we’re at today,” he adds.
“Unfortunately, the situation is particularly toxic. The atmosphere is not good for the Democratic Rally. And I believe—I still believe—that getting involved in a heated internal party election campaign will exacerbate the problems rather than alleviate them. I have renewed my appeal to those concerned. Let’s get together in a room, because if it is indeed the will of all of us to secure a victory for the Democratic Rally—at least on the first Sunday—we have nothing to divide us. Unless, of course, that is not the will of all of us.”
When asked whether there should be a debate among the candidates, Mr. Pamporidis replied that he understands why people might be in favor of it, but this is a very specific and clearly defined political arena.
“Indeed, one of the two candidates served as president for many years in the past, and the other is the current president. And I’ve been with Synagermos since 1981. It’s hard to pinpoint any political differences that would warrant getting involved in a debate. What concerns me—and what I’ve said in the past—is that we shouldn’t lose our composure, let the process degenerate, and end up harming the party rather than benefiting it. You know, a civilized political election process can have a healing and unifying effect. A degenerate election process, on the other hand, can lead to disastrous results.”
And he renews his call for unity…
“That is why, seeing the tension and toxicity that prevail, I am once again calling for more mature and level-headed thinking. I’ll be honest with you: I don’t believe there’s anything that divides us. After all, if our common goal is indeed victory in the upcoming presidential election, we can only achieve it together. In other words, I don’t see how any one of the three of us—without one of the other two—could win at least the first round of the presidential election. I’m telling you this in all honesty.”
“I dread the possibility of further fragmentation and division within Synergismo after 2023, because that can certainly only lead to negative outcomes,” he continued.
When asked to share his opinion on Anita Dimitriou’s bid for the Speakership of the Parliament, he replied that he did not consider her bid for the Speakership of the House to be a sound tactical move.
“If I were in her position, I would have reached out to Nikolaos Papadopoulos specifically, because I sincerely believe that, as neighboring parliamentary groups, we could have found common ground for the country’s future governance and settled the issue of the presidential election at that time.”
Mr. Pamborides was also asked to respond to those who are bringing up the discussion he had with AKEL in 2023, saying that he had already addressed the matter but would not hesitate to respond again.
“I was approached as part of a joint effort by DIKO, AKEL, and other political parties—which have not taken a position on this specific matter, so I cannot describe it as a cross-party candidacy. We had some discussions, and it became clear at a relatively early stage that we could not reach an agreement, so the matter was dropped. I did this at a time when I had distanced myself from the Democratic Rally, denouncing a shift to the right; specifically, in 2019, I had denounced this shift toward the far right, explaining that I disagreed with specific decisions made during Anastasiades’ second term and expressing my disappointment with the way things were unfolding. At that stage, I was sounded out. And I was not sounded out to assist AKEL or DIKO in their efforts. I was approached to be the candidate for President of the Republic myself, as a non-partisan figure, alongside other political forces.”
“I’m accused of being a little bit pregnant—I wasn’t pregnant—and I’m being accused by those who actually were,” he states characteristically.
He also responds regarding the background of Nikos Christodoulides’ appointment to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referring to a dishonest deal between Christodoulides and Averof.
“Anastasiades accused me of asking him to make me Minister of Energy, and I publicly denied it in a blunt manner at the time and repeated it to him in private. Anastasiades offered me the chance to remain in the government three times, and I refused. And there were witnesses whom I pointed out to Anastasiades when the issue of my remaining as minister was raised. So the claims of resentment that I wanted to become foreign minister do not concern me; Haris Georgiadis was intended to be foreign minister, and a dirty trick was played against Haris to exclude him. The scheme was orchestrated by Nikos Christodoulides and Averof Neophytou, and they succeeded in sidelining him so that Nikos Christodoulides could become foreign minister. And I know the background very well.”
He also states that he understands and acknowledges the personal bitterness felt by Averof Neophytou.
“Because, first and foremost, as a close associate of Nicos Anastasiades—and Nicos Anastasiades is not the easiest person to deal with—he took a lot of flak for decades because of that choice; he was betrayed by Nicos Anastasiades; he himself feels that he was betrayed. Then there’s his personal choice, Nicos Christodoulides, whom he rapidly promoted to various posts, betrayed him—and I understand his sense of personal humiliation—and he himself says that his personal choice, Annita Dimitriou, whom he promoted to various positions, also betrayed him.”
He notes that personal feelings have no place in these matters, especially in such a critical election.
“Because, from every perspective, this upcoming presidential race is very important for the future of the Democratic Rally. It is critical.”
Responding to a comment that, when announcing his candidacy, he claimed he could unite the Democratic Rally’s supporters, he chose to speak about that community by referring to his own journey.
“I joined the Democratic Movement in 1981 at a very young age—earlier than Averof Neophytou, and certainly earlier than Anita Dimitriou— not that seniority matters in any way, but my joining the party allowed me—and granted me the great privilege—to experience firsthand the work of very prominent political figures of the time. Glafkos Clerides himself, Alekos Markidis, Alekos Stamatis, Manolis Christofides, Giannakis Kasoulidis, Leontios Zachariades, Leontios Ierodiakonou—individuals who embodied exceptional moral character and principles. It was they who shouldered the “Rally” from the very beginning and transformed it into a vehicle upon which all of Cyprus rode to progress and join the European Union.”
“So I watched from its very inception as the Democratic Rally grew stronger, establishing conditions and visions that served only the interests of the Cypriot people, and I also saw enormous mistakes being made along the way,” he continued.
“Huge mistakes were made. But with all due respect, the bottom line—the final outcome, the Democratic Rally’s legacy in history, in the modern history of Cyprus—can only be assessed positively. This process and the grand visions that the Democratic Rally served have been lost along the way. It seems we have forgotten to renew our covenant with society for other visions of comparable magnitude. And that is why I blame both the previous leadership and the current leadership, which lacked the stature to fulfill the role it needed to play in healing the wounds of ’23 and allow us to move forward into the future.”
When asked who will stand by him in this effort, he replies that it is not right for him to say who will stand by him, but that those who do will make themselves known on their own.
Responding to the question of which political factions should come together to ensure a victory for him at the polls,
“I say this with all due modesty. I believe that my candidacy can not only serve as a common ground for all Synergatiki members, regardless of their political leanings, but can also appeal to citizens across the entire political spectrum. And I’ll be more specific. My political career—and if you look at my track record at the Ministry of Health—has shown that I can bring together forces from opposing sides, even from the extremes of the political spectrum, even from directions completely opposed to those of Synergmos.”
“If in three weeks I can’t find 500 people who will support my candidacy, I’d be better off not running,” he replied when asked whether the extension secured in the DISY process was sufficient.
