"Everything in its own time," Anita Dimitriou meaningfully states as she speaks out for the first time following the revelation about the dinner with Averof Neophytou and Chris Panayiotou, while pointedly implying that some people have brought the party’s standards down. She was responding to a question about the dinner in question; however, it appears she had her statement prepared in advance, anticipating that she would be asked about it after the National Council meeting concluded.  

ANNITA DIMITRIOU—DISY President: “Allow
me to uphold the standards of political discourse and of the party I lead. All in good time. My job is to protect my party through a democratic process, and that is what I will do. Everything else is unnecessary—that is the least I can say.”
 
In an interview with RIK, Averof Neophytou reiterated that he would never again play with a marked deck, referring to the betrayal he claims to have experienced in 2023. 

These developments abruptly cut short the run-up to the presidential election 1.5 years early. The announcements by Annita Dimitriou and Averof Neophytou will lead the nearly 50,000 members to choose their candidate on November 14. Anyone entering the race must collect 500 signatures distributed proportionally by district, 100 of which must come from the Supreme Council, which consists of 2,000 members. The process puts a noose around Giorgos Pamporidis’s neck, as he admits shortly before making his final decision.  

GEORGE PAMPORIDIS—DISY Member of Parliament: “As
a party member and member of parliament, I don’t have access to the membership registry. So am I supposed to go to the party secretary and ask if someone is a member of DISY?”

The clash between Averof and the party leadership has escalated, with his former colleagues in the party expressing deep disappointment over the insinuations regarding a run as an independent.

EFTHYMIOU DIPLAROS—DISY Deputy President: “I must
be one of the few who gave my all for Averof Neophytou.”

Whether the former President ultimately decides to enter the intra-party race on October 13 is something we’ll find out soon, since he will need to sound out party members and former officials to secure the required signatures. The party leadership is

urging him to enter the internal party process. “What’s past is past,” say the gossip and the witch hunt.  

EFTHYMIOU DIPLAROS—DISY Deputy President: “As the leader, I’m not
going to say a single word or add fuel to the fire. It’s all over.”

Behind the scenes, the whispers about the dinner show no sign of stopping, with the DISY President assuring her close associates that no promise was made to the former President regarding support in the presidential election. 

See Evangelos Agapios’s report:

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