Christodoulides’s Infiltration into DISY Amid a New Round of Inward-Looking Politics
When, last April, Nikos Tornaritis told “25 Minutes” that his political career would not end with his departure from the House of Representatives, behind the scenes, speculation was running rampant that he would be appointed a minister in the next cabinet reshuffle.
Public statements such as “I feel 100% vindicated for my vote for Christodoulides,” as well as “not even the current President of the Republic should be ruled out from DISY’s options for ’28,” reinforced the belief that the former member of parliament had long been in complete alignment with the presidential camp.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The recent cabinet reshuffle disproved those speculations. Tornaritis’s exclusion from the cabinet was interpreted as Christodoulides’s attempt to avoid stepping on the “holy ground” by appointing a front-line Synergatiki official as a minister. However, what time does not bring, the moment does…
Tornaritis, the Special Envoy
According to information from “Alpha on Sunday,” the need to create the position of Special Presidential Envoy for the Cyprus Issue in Asia and Africa had been identified some time ago. In fact, about a year ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had pointed out to the President of the Republic that in countries on both continents where the Republic of Cyprus does not maintain diplomatic missions, Turkey was operating on its own, creating a serious vacuum for Nicosia.
A vacuum that Nikos Christodoulides believed Nikos Tornaritis could—to a certain extent and in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs —fill through the contacts and relationships he has built over 13 years as head and Vice President of the Cypriot delegation to the Parliamentary Assemblies of Asia and the Council of Europe.
The appointment of Special Envoys is standard practice. In the past, during the administration of Tassos Papadopoulos immediately after the rejection of the Annan Plan, this role was assumed, among others, by Eleni Theocharous, Andros Kyprianou, Michalis Attalides, and Sotos Zakhaeus, conveying Nicosia’s positions to countries where they maintained strong ties and connections.
A Natural Continuation
Despite the Presidential Office’s claims to the contrary, Tornaritis’s appointment is interpreted—even by government officials—as a blatant payback by Nikos Christodoulides. This is both for the public support the former member of parliament provided him during the second round of the presidential election, his role as a liaison between the Presidential camp and the “Alarm” faction, as well as his behind-the-scenes efforts to keep the discussion alive regarding the need for the party to align itself with the government.
This development did not go unnoticed by DISY. A source from the upper echelons of Pindarou, speaking to “Alpha on Sunday,” noted that “Nikos’s path toward the President’s embrace was predetermined.” Despite what he himself claims, the image he projected immediately after the parliamentary elections was that of a party official cut off from the party.
Indicative of this image is his complete absence from party activities—whether it be a meeting of the Political Bureau or even events such as the party’s anniversary celebration.
Veiled… Discontent
Despite the fact that Nikos Tornaritis had informed the Synergatiki leadership of his appointment as early as Wednesday morning, Pindarou’s discomfort during the announcement of the decision was evident. Despite the attempt to break the news gently—by not even issuing a press release—the unease was palpable.
While the Secretary-General made it clear that no meeting on the Cyprus issue was expected to take place in New York, as “there is still a lot of work to be done,” those at Pindarou knew that any attack on the presidential office regarding Tornaritis would backfire on them.
It would undermine the narrative that the party’s primary goal is to resolve the Cyprus issue. Also telling was the post by an apparently annoyed Anita Dimitriou on Facebook: “The last thing we should be concerned with right now is getting bogged down in petty politics, erratic moves, and appointments.”
Continued Sabotage
Christodoulides’ repeated claims that he has not yet made his decisions regarding 2028 are categorically refuted by the facts themselves. Tornaritis’s appointment is another piece in the puzzle of DISY’s factional infighting ahead of the presidential election.
Taking advantage of the growing internal strife ahead of the party’s internal processes for the 2028 nomination, as well as the polls showing he maintains a strong foothold among the alarmist audience, the President of the Republic methodically continues to utilize Pindarou’s cadres.
By reiterating at every opportunity his conservative identity and the social liberalism of his center-right government, Nikos Christodoulides is expanding his political influence within the party.
Unity in Shambles
A year and a half before the presidential election, the Democratic Alarm presents the image of a deeply divided party. The confrontational atmosphere of the past week has brought past tensions and the battle for the 2028 nomination back into the spotlight.
The disclosure—through leaks—of the fierce clash between Efthymios Diplaros and Yiannis Karousos, involving extremely harsh epithets such as “sellout,” “traitor,” and many other highly offensive epithets—has brought DISY back to the turbulent days of 2004.
The roots of the conflict between the two men date back to 2023 and the second round of the presidential election. At that time, Diplaros supported Nicos Christodoulides, while Karousos backed Andreas Mavroyiannis.
However, the current escalation of their feud, according to sources close to Pindarou, is linked both to the internal party process for the presidential nomination and to the future of Pindarou, as their personal ambitions clash.
Averof’s statement that he experienced the “double standard” firsthand, Karousos’s insinuations about officials who have a foot in both the party and the government, as well as Diplaros’s reference to arbitrary attributions of intentions, only serve to add fuel to the fire of an inward-looking mindset that is growing ever deeper.
A Meeting to Calm the Waters
Whether tomorrow’s meeting of the top leadership, convened by the peacemaker Anita, will lead to a settling of accounts and a calming of tempers remains to be seen. The fact, however, that she herself asked the invitees to set aside two hours in their schedules suggests that she will exhaust every avenue to achieve this.
This is because the DISY President knows full well that any further escalation of the crisis will lead the party down dangerous paths with unpredictable consequences. First and foremost for her own goals and plans…
