"A heated exchange of insults, shouting, and tension dominated yesterday’s teleconference of the Democratic Alarm’s Communications Group between the party’s Deputy Chairman, Efthymios Diplaros, and Vice ChairmanAnnis Karousos. The reason? By all accounts, Mr. Diplaros’s attendance at a celebratory dinner hosted by a friend, at which President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides was also a guest. The incident appears to have initially drawn negative comments from Mr. Karousos within party circles, while Mr. Diplaros, for his part, reportedly sought an explanation.
SEE ALSO: “I will work with consistency and determination”: Tornaritis thanks Christodoulides for the appointment
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Appearing as a guest on the “Alpha Kalimera” show, Mr. Karousos indirectly but clearly confirmed what had come to light in the media in recent hours,public eye” through extensive coverage and reports on news websites, and announced that DISY President Annita Dimitriou has already convened a meeting of party officials on the matter, no later than next Monday, with Mr. Diplaros and Mr. Karousos invited to attend.
“I have no quarrel with anyone in the leadership; of course there are disagreements—we are a family. I have nothing against Efthymios Diplaros or anyone else. We had a discussion about the incident the day before yesterday; the President has called a meeting on this matter for the coming days, I will respect the President, who asked both me and Efthymios to attend this meeting.”
Mr. Karousos noted, however, that some of the details included in a related report in the newspaper “O Fileleftheros” “do not actually hold up,” and that he has “contacted the reporter and asked him to verify certain details and correct some of the claims he made.”
“It’s not right for people to send messages to others containing public accusations. We have to verify the facts. I mean, if Ms. Agapitou is sitting at a table and accuses Yiannis Karousos, am I not supposed to call, ask questions, or verify it?”
At the same time, the Vice President of DISY made no secret of the differences and disagreements that appear to exist at the highest levels of Pindarou regarding the handling of matters and the upcoming 2028 presidential election, as well as the participation of party officials in the government, most recently the appointment of Nikos Tornaritis.
“It’s only natural that there are differences; they’re bound to exist. We’re certainly entering an election season. Certainly, not only between myself and Efthymios Diplaros and many others in the leadership, but there will be a strategy. My proposal and my view to the leadership is that no one should be allowed to be at the Presidential Palace in the morning and at Pindarou Street by noon, whoever that person may be, whether a member of the Political Bureau, the Supreme Council, or the Executive Committee. We must set out on a path toward the elections in order to win them.”
Yiannis Karousos also outlined the positions he will present to the President at the upcoming meeting with Mr. Diplaros, as well as his request that the issue of differing approaches among party officials be discussed within the DISY Political Bureau.
“I will not elaborate further; I will respect the request made to me by the party President, and we will first discuss this internally within the party and among our own ranks before saying anything else. The message we’re sending is one of unity, not of extreme hostility. As for what’s happening now with Nikos Tornaritis, the information I have is that he will continue. How will we in DISY prevent this? We’ll discuss this with the leadership; I’ll state my positions and my views. We must not pretend that it’s okay for them to be appointed to the government and also participate in DISY’s collective bodies. That it’s okay to be appointed to a quasi-governmental organization and that it’s okay to also participate in the Political Bureau—to me, these aren’t serious matters.”
Yiannis Karousos reiterated his intention to publicly name DISY officials whom he believes are in both the party’s “boat” and the Christodoulides government’s “boat.”
“I am not addressing the rank-and-file DISY member who may have voted for Nicos Christodoulides in the first round. I am addressing the officials who make serious decisions. All of them must respect the path they have taken so far and their party. Just as dozens refused the President’s offer to appoint them as ministers, telling him, “Thank you, but I won’t take it,” everyone should say the same. That is what I believe is right.”
READ ALSO: Tornaritis Appointed by the Cabinet: What Role Will He Assume as the President’s Special Envoy?
