DISY Vice President Yiannis Karousos launched a fierce attack against Haris Georgiadis from the studio of the “Alpha Kalimera” show, following a letter he sent informing Anita Dimitriou that if the party’s candidate is Averof Neophytou, he would not participate in the election campaign and presented her with his resignation from the presidency of the Glafkos Clerides Institute, which Ms. Dimitriou rejected.
When asked to comment on his own reaction to the fact that Haris Georgiadis submitted his resignation to the President and spoke out against Averof Neophytou, since Mr. Karousos had invited anyone with a disagreement to voice it, he replied:
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“It is everyone’s right, especially that of senior officials, to take a position on any candidate, but only until that date. This ends on November 28, when we will have our official candidate. Haris Georgiadis made his statement, but he is the president of the Glafkos Clerides Institute, appointed by the president of the Democratic Rally.”
Commenting on the fact that he submitted his resignation to the President, he argues that he placed the burden of the resignation on the President “in an artificial manner.”
“With this statement, he has shown disrespect toward the Democratic Alarm base, which for the first time will choose its own candidate. The people, not us senior officials. She should not have made this statement. She should have made it outside her institutional role as president of the Glafkos Clerides Institute.”
“Either you resign or you don’t,” he points out.
“The president of the Glafkos Clerides Institute told us he would not follow the party’s bylaws. And he is still president. This is a very serious matter. In other words, the person who heads an important organization affiliated with the Democratic Rally—appointed by the president—has told us that if Candidate A is elected, I will not abide by the bylaws.”
When asked why Ms. Dimitriou did not accept his resignation, he replied that she had heard various opinions and decided accordingly, with Mr. Karousos arguing that it should have been accepted to send a message that everyone must abide by the bylaws.
“I have said many times, that those who wish to support other candidates—for example, Nikos Christodoulides—should come forward and say so now and resign from the party’s collective bodies. Anyone who will not support either Giorgos Pamboridis or Averof Neophytou—whomever the people choose—then why should they remain in the party’s collective bodies? There is no reason. I’m saying this publicly—and I’ve said it before—whoever is chosen, I’ll campaign with the same passion and determination to get them elected President of the Republic. Whoever it may be. I will respect the will of the members of the Democratic Alarm.”
“We’re going for the win,” he emphasizes, adding that this process has upset many, as it is expected to make DISY much stronger.
Regarding Anita Dimitriou’s withdrawal from the race and the fact that this does not seem to have been taken seriously, he states that it is up to her to make it credible. When asked to share his opinion, he states that they have a president who has put the party’s best interests and unity above her own personal ambitions.
Responding to a comment that she had already announced she would be a candidate, she says:
“If she made a mistake, do you correct one mistake with another mistake? In other words, do we just let it go and sweep it under the rug, for example?”
When asked if it would be a mistake, given that, as President, she theoretically has priority, she replied:
“Neither the president, nor the deputies, nor the vice presidents have priority. Priority goes to whoever the party’s rank-and-file choose. And that doesn’t mean it will be the president or the top party official. Everyone has the right to participate in this process. The president put the party’s best interests and the party’s unity above everyone and everything else. And she has shown that she cares about this unity and has tried to ensure it, by confirming that both candidates will participate through the established procedures.”
“We want unity—it’s not difficult to achieve, but it’s difficult to put it into practice when we see statements from institutional figures who, in essence, are doing nothing but helping Nikos Christodoulides’s candidacy,” he adds.
When asked to comment on Nikos Tornaritis’s statement, in which he spoke of “marked decks,” he states that the “marked decks” were in 2023.
“And now we will ensure that there will be no ‘marked decks,’ no double-dealing, and no individuals who will be standing next to our candidate, or officials who will be with our candidate in the morning and at the Presidential Palace by noon.”
Commenting also on Mr. Tornaridis’s statement that he would support a second term for Nicos Christodoulides, he notes that Mr. Tornaritis has publicly stated his positions and, at the very least, is not hiding them.
“We must ensure that after this process—which should be celebratory, yet kept timely and low-key—we select our candidate, the one the people want, and no one—especially those who hold institutional roles in this party—can prevent the candidacy that reflects the will of the Synergatiko people.”
When asked what happens if someone disagrees, he maintains that such a person should leave the party’s collective bodies and not participate in any pre-election process organized by the Democratic Alarm.
“What? I’m saying now, I disagree, and if it’s a specific issue, I won’t run—or I won’t run for that position—or I’ll run as a different candidate, and when we set up a campaign office, they should be present. They have the right to say these things until the day we have our candidate. From the very next day, everyone must abide by the party bylaws. That’s why we have party bylaws. So that we can follow them. They shouldn’t be à la carte.”
When asked if there is a leadership issue, he replies that he does not believe so and adds that while there are differences, once decisions are made, they must be followed.
Mr. Karousos takes a very strong stance against any party official or appointed official who would oppose what the party’s rank-and-file decides or who would run any other candidatecandidate.
“Haris Georgiadis said it. His position is respected. But he cannot say it as president of the Glafkos Clerides Institute. If there’s one person who managed to unite the Synagermos movement, it was Glafkos Clerides. He can’t remain in that position.”
When asked to comment on rumors that he himself is going to support the candidacy of Mr. Averof Neophytou, he replied that he would not officially declare his preference for any of the candidates, because he must set an example as a leader.
“I certainly have a preference, but I won’t state it publicly. Because we need to keep a low profile. It doesn’t help party unity for the leadership to come out and say, ‘I support Candidate A or B.’ We need to ensure just one thing: That everyone—from the President down to the lowest-ranking member of the party’s governing bodies—will make a public statement declaring that, whoever is chosen, they stand with him.”
When asked where the Democratic Alarm leadership was during the official submission of candidacies on Monday, he cited the policy of maintaining equal distance from all candidates.
“The leadership isn’t hiding. What we wanted to avoid was one person saying, ‘Oh, one person welcomed the other very warmly, but when the other arrived, they were just going through the motions.’ We want to unite. Perhaps the right thing to do would have been for all of us to be there—from the president down to the very last person.”
“We made a mistake,” admits Mr. Karousos, adding that everyone should have been there.
When asked to comment on the resignation of Manolis Theologos, Special Advisor to the President of the Democratic Alarm, Mr. Karousos views it positively.
“I see a young woman—like many other young people who love this party—issuing this statement, which does her great credit. She’s shown us—and Haris Georgiadis—a thing or two. A young woman. She says that I am not submitting my resignation to you. I am resigning, and she even stated the reasons. The president of the Glafkos Clerides Institute cannot say such things. Her statement was clear. And kudos to her. Kudos to her, because she has principles and values and she stands by them. That’s what matters. With members like Andrea Manoli and so many others, yes, we have a future in the Democratic Alarm, and perhaps we should open our doors to more young men and women so they can get more involved.”
Responding to a question about why the six members of the DISY leadership cannot set red lines and unite the party, he states that if they fail to do so, the entire leadership will have to answer to the party members.
