The trends, figures, and scenarios that benefit political parties and figures
Last Sunday, a series of statements by political figures focused on the presidential election, and their remarks directly or indirectly supported DISY President Annita Dimitriou. Ioannis Kasoulides, through *Kathimerini*, was the first to speak out in favor of Ms. Dimitriou’s nomination as the Synergatiko candidate, and many party officials believe he was setting the tone for how the rest should proceed. Haris Georgiadis, in an op-ed in “Fileleftheros,” responded to Averof Neophytou’s remarks about the “burial” of the “Ideas of Gali,” thereby taking a stance against him. Meanwhile, Chrysis Pantelidis stated in an interview that he favors a center-right alliance, pointing toward DISY and Annita Dimitriou. So who supports Anita Dimitriou’s candidacy, what are Averof Neophytou’s plans, and what momentum does Nikos Christodoulides ultimately have? The developments from this summer until now demonstrate that within the center-right, the tactical maneuvering has already begun, camps are being drawn, and potential alliances are tentatively forming, all with an eye toward 2028.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Divide and Conquer
Nikos Christodoulides’ move to strengthen DIKO’s presence in the cabinet was seen by many as the ideal way to secure DIKO’s support, as the party had one foot out the door. The President has realized that he does not control the leadership of the coalition partners (DIKO, EDEK, DIPA), nor that of ELAM, and is attempting to create his own sub-groups within them to rally their parties behind his candidacy. He also appears to wield influence through officials within DISY. He has already secured the party leadership’s support by appointing two of its vice presidents to the cabinet, Paphos through his ardent supporter and top vote-getter Chrysanthos Savvides, Famagusta through Christos Senekis, Limassol with both Evi Tsolaki and Panikos Leonidou, and, of course, with the organizational strength wielded by the former DIKO organizational secretary and current Director of the Office of the President, Panagiotis Palates. However, in this equation, the President appears to have downplayed two important factors. The first is the unease felt by the two former coalition partners—now extra-parliamentary parties—DIPA and EDEK. Aside from EDEK, which has been left out, DIPA officials are also expressing their displeasure. In theory, DIPA is particularly well-positioned, given that, despite its defeat, it has two of its officials (in Defense and Labor) serving in the cabinet. However, according to DIPA officials, Palmas and Mousiouttas are not purely DIPA’s choice but rather personal selections by President Christodoulides. This inevitably diminishes the influence of Marios Karoyian in the equation, who is also displeased by the strengthened presence of DIKO in the government.
The second issue that the President appears to have downplayed is Nikola Papadopoulos’s annoyance at having been sidelined all this time. By clearly interfering in the party’s internal affairs and leaving him exposed. There are quite a few within DIKO who believe that regardless of whether the party decides to support Nicos Christodoulides, the DIKO President and his inner circle will not work enthusiastically for his reelection following the rift they had over the reshuffle. It is certainly in his interest for Annita Dimitriou to be supported for 2028, as this could potentially make him the next Speaker of the House. But how feasible is it to support the DISY candidate—and specifically Anita Dimitriou? Two factors could lead to a decision not to support the current Speaker:
- Disagreement with the handling of the Cyprus issue
- Official support for the President from ELAM, which is considered disastrous for the party
Of course, neither of these factors is considered set in stone. This is because if DIKO disagrees with Nicos Christodoulides on the Cyprus issue, will it then agree with DISY’s position on the matter? However, the issue of ELAM is also becoming problematic, given that not long ago, DIKO did not rule out an alliance with ELAM for the Speakership of the House of Representatives.
The prevailing sense, however, is that Nikolas Papadopoulos wants to use the alternative of Annita Dimitriou to put pressure on the President so that he does not take the party for granted. At the same time, he wants the party to have other options available. Moreover, DIKO officials consider the idea of switching sides—and, in particular, supporting Annita Dimitriou—to be extremely difficult for the following reasons:
- It would undermine the work of DIKO’s ministers and officials if the departure were framed as a sign of dissatisfaction with the government’s performance
- An explanation must be provided as to why Anita Dimitriou is considered more capable than the current President, given that both factions claim to represent the center-right and acknowledge that they have no cleardifferences on major issues
- The relationship between Anita Dimitriou and DIKO officials and the party base has not been cultivated, as has been the case with Nikos Christodoulides
- DISY’s internal party process, which may take quite some time and intensify inward-looking tendencies, makes it difficult to lay the groundwork within DIKO for such a development
The key question now regarding how the dynamics will play out is what will unfold within DISY. Anita Dimitriou has kept a low public profile regarding whether or not she will run, but it is considered certain that, since the parliamentary elections, she has been preparing for 2028. After all, she has two strong bargaining chips that can help her on the issue of alliances—both within DISY and outside it: the Speakership of the House of Representatives and the party presidency. Meanwhile, her high popularity is considered a significant asset, and she is working to consolidate it in order to project an image of victory through leaked poll results. Given that he is set to become Speaker of the House, he is hoping for the support of DIKO, with whom he had grown closer during the pre-election period. It is by no means a coincidence that both sides are talking about a Center-Right Alliance. This alliance is supported first and foremost—and he is considered the father of the idea——is Haris Georgiadis, but also Onoufrios Koulas, given that during his tenure as Speaker of the House, he held behind-the-scenes discussions along these lines. Although it is believed that in such a scenario Nikolas Papadopoulos would serve as co-leader, at present this is difficult to achieve, at least in the first round. Already, the DIKO party does not view its internal elections favorably. On the one hand, because they would be seen as entirely dependent on DISY’s decisions rather than being a consultative process, and on the other hand, because they believe that internal party conflict will cause friction and internal. However, the issue of the party presidency also carries its own significance. Just as in the case of Averof Neophytou in 2023, party officials today may rally around Ms. Dimitriou for three reasons. The first concerns party discipline, which Ioannis Kasoulides highlighted in his interview. The second has to do with the rising stars. At this moment, Efthymios Diplaros, Giannis Karousos, and Michalis Hatzipantelas have—through their actions—indicated their intention to run for the party presidency. However, neither Dimitris Dimitriou nor Giorgos Pamporidis should be ruled out of such a scenario. The possibility of her candidacy—and subsequent election—therefore opens the path to the party presidency for those interested. The third factor relates to the polls and the prospect of victory.
Beyond the discussion about what comes next, however, this position gives Anita Dimitriou the opportunity to build a strong relationship with the party base and assemble her team. She has already attempted to reach out to party officials who were considered staunch Averof supporters, such as MP Nikos Georgiou, with whom—in addition to having built a good relationship— she insisted that Mr. Georgiou be appointed Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee. However, she has also built relationships with figures affiliated with Giorgos Pamporidis, such as Anastasia Anthousi. For example, those in the large, informal “shadow cabinet” are automatically considered her supporters. She is sending them the message that, should she be elected, she will govern alongside them.
The big question, of course, is when the internal party process will take place. The DISY President has already met with Averof Neophytou, with whom she had been seeking a meeting for some time. They discussed both developments in the Cyprus issue and the leak of the opinion polls, which was, after all, the cause of the major rift. The meeting with Giorgos Pamboridis took place over lunch in the presence of Ioannis Kasoulides. No decision has yet been made on when the party primaries will take place, although party officials estimate they will be held in December. The DISY President is inevitably also concerned about what Averof Neophytou intends to do, who has not revealed his plans beyond stating that he is interested in the Presidency of the Republic. His repeated statements, however—that the Cyprus issue is his priority and that, should developments arise, he will support the President—are interpreted in two ways by some party officials. Either that he is ready to run outside the party, or that he may act in support of Nicos Christodoulides under the pretext of the Cyprus issue. There are, however, party circles that reject both possibilities, viewing them as part of his efforts to pressure Pindarou, as they consider it unlikely that Mr. Neophytou would act outside the party line. As for who will stand by his side, however, that remains an open question should he decide to run against Anita Dimitriou. He has already built a solid core of second- and third-tier officials; however, the question remains whether the top-tier officials who were on the front lines in 2023 to support him will do so again. Another question is whether the DISY parliamentary group will take a stance in favor of a particular candidate or whether they will choose to remain neutral to avoid political damage. For Mr. Neophytou, his political clout and the fact that he has clear positions—that he can attract votes from the progressive electorate seeking a solution—are considered his strengths; however, several party officials who credit him with competence find it difficult to support him, believing that DISY is headed for yet another lost battle.
