Just twenty-four hours after Averof Neophytou and George Pamporidis submitted their candidacies for the internal party process to select Pindarou’s candidate in the 2028 presidential, a new front of confrontation, introversion, and conflict opened up with a letter from Haris Georgiadis to Annita Dimitriou.
The head of the “Glafkos Clerides” Institute states that if Mr. Neophytou is selected as the DISY candidate, he will not support the decision and offers his resignation from his post, to the party’s president.
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READ ALSO: “Bombshell” from Haris Georgiadis: I will not participate in the election campaign if the DISY candidate is Averof
The party’s Vice President, Yiannis Karousos, and DISY’s Parliamentary Spokesperson, by referring to statements that intensify internal divisions.
Karousos: “We’re adding fuel to the fire”
Speaking on ANT1’s program “Mera Mesimeri,” Mr. Karousos described Mr. Georgiadis’s statements as misguided and out of place. As he noted, the former minister’s public reference to the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of Anita Dimitriou’s candidacy is perceived as a challenge to the statements made by the party president herself, who made it clear that she had not been pressured by anyone.
Mr. Karousos argued that, since Anita Dimitriou had already taken a position on the issue, continuing the public dispute does not help the party. “I believe we’re adding fuel to the fire with these statements,” he said, adding that such remarks do not contribute to party unity.
At the same time, he noted that the atmosphere of introversion that is being created does not help the effort to support the candidate that DISY will ultimately select for the presidential election.
Dimitriou: “Whatever happened, happened in broad daylight”
Speaking on the same program, Mr. Dimitriou stated that he personally did not anticipate this particular development, though he was not surprised by the former minister’s public stance. As he noted, Haris Georgiadis has consistently expressed his views openly over the years; however, he disagrees with the approach the former minister chose in the current situation. “I do not agree with this approach. I do not believe it contributes to the atmosphere we wish to create,” he stated.
At the same time, the DISY Parliamentary Spokesperson acknowledged that internal party issues cannot be swept under the rug, noting that the practice of sweeping problems “swept under the rug” may be one of the reasons the party finds itself in this situation today.
At the same time, it sent a clear message to Democratic Alarm officials, urging them to avoid publicly endorsing one candidate or another ahead of the 2028 presidential election process. As he explained, the priority should be to safeguard the party’s unity and continuity, regardless of the outcome of the internal party process. “I believe that party officials should not publicly state their preference, because we must consider the continuity and cohesion of our party and our political faction for the days ahead,” he emphasized. He clarified, at the same time, that this position is his personal recommendation and not a binding decision by the DISY Parliamentary Group.
Dimitris Dimitriou made special mention of Haris Georgiadis’s accusations of political blackmail, in connection with the circumstances that led Anita Dimitriou to withdraw her interest in seeking the DISY presidential nomination. The party’s parliamentary spokesperson disagreed with the assessment that political blackmail was the reason for the president’s withdrawal, arguing that everything that took place happened in the open.
“Whatever happened, happened in broad daylight. It didn’t happen behind closed doors, behind dark doors, or in the dark,” he noted. As he pointed out, the meetings and related statements were broadcast live, allowing members of the faction to form their own opinions about what happened.
“Personally, I do not believe that political blackmail was the reason for the chairwoman’s resignation, because that issue predated her initial decision to express her interest,” he noted. Finally, he referred to the public statements made by Annita Dimitriou, who, as he noted, had made it clear that the decision to withdraw from the process was her own and that she had not been pressured by anyone.
