As the party’s Election Committee proceeds with the tally of all votes submitted by the two candidates for the DISY nomination, the party’s Election Committee is proceeding with the count, as signatures from non-party members were identified, as reported by DISY Deputy Press Spokesperson Xenia Konstantinou from the studio of the Alpha Kalimera program.
Responding to a question about whether the 3,000 signatures submitted by Averof Neophytou had been counted, Ms. Konstantinou stated that because signatures were found from individuals who were not members or who had registered after the deadline, it was decided to count them all.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“Because, as the process unfolded, very few cases were identified where, unfortunately, individuals were not party members or were not eligible to vote—since they had registered a little later— our colleagues on the Organizational Committee decided—so that no one would find themselves in that difficult position, especially since they had already supported one of the two candidates— only to discover on November 28 that they were ineligible. Therefore, all submitted signatures will be verified, precisely so that these members can be notified and made aware of the situation in advance.”
As the DISY leadership has been informed by the campaign teams of the two candidates, Averof Neophytou is expected to submit his candidacy at 11:30 a.m., while Giorgos Pamporidis is expected to do so at 12:30 p.m.
The preliminary review of the list of supporters for both candidates is nearly complete, with Ms. Konstantinou stating that approximately one hour after the process is completed, that is, around 2:00 p.m., the candidacies will be able to be validated.
Commenting on the individuals who signed in support of both candidates’ nominations and when asked what she herself had done, Ms. Konstantinou stated that she did not sign because she was not asked to.
“If either of them had asked me, I would automatically have signed for the other one as well. Precisely because I wanted to send a message that what matters most is the process we want to ensure and, above all, the unity of the day after. Since that didn’t happen, I haven’t signed for either of them.”
When asked whether the DISY leadership is concerned about the possibility of the party’s candidate speaking with a forked tongue, following Averof’s proposal to lift Russian energy sanctions, Ms. Konstantinou believes this will not happen and describes the scenario of one of the candidates acting outside the appropriate framework as “regrettable.”
“It would be truly regrettable if either of the two were to act in a manner that falls outside the bounds of respect and ethics, which must govern these proceedings. However, there is currently no indication that anything of the sort might occur.”
When asked to comment on the fact that this process follows the “behind-the-scenes” proceedings of 2023, which took a toll on the Democratic Rally, she acknowledges that the biggest challenge is unity.
“I don’t think we’ve ever hidden the fact that the biggest challenge lies precisely in the day after—whichever of the two emerges victorious—for all of us—the leadership, the members of the Democratic Alarm, its members and voters, will move in an organized manner to support the candidate, so that we can reach our goal and succeed, because we have everything it takes, to secure victory in the 2028 elections, but this requires unity and, of course, readiness, so that we are in a position to stake our claim politically and convince the public.”
When asked to comment on Nikos Anastasiadis’s statements, she described any discussion about the second round of the elections as counterproductive.
“We won’t silence Mr. Anastasiades; we respect him because we don’t fully realize just how much he has contributed both to the country and to our party. However, I believe the president herself has said that our priority right now is to go to the polls and win these elections. So I believe that any discussion taking place today about a second round—which, as far as I know, has never happened before— is premature, unorthodox, and likely counterproductive.”
“It’s far too late,” Ms. Konstantinou states in response to a question about Christodoulides’ “apology” to DISY and how he might rejoin the party.
