The fallout from Odysseas Michaelides’s public attack on AKEL secretary-general Stefanos Stefanou is rippling well beyond the immediate exchange, reshaping political calculations on the House Speaker race, the upcoming election and the longer horizon of the 2028 Presidential elections.
The rift and its consequences
Michaelides’s insinuations of corruption against Stefanou over the Vasiliko case appear to have crossed a line within AKEL that cannot easily be uncrossed. Despite a partial walkback by the ALMA leader on CyBC’s morning show on Wednesday, displeasure within the party of the left remains intense.
The attack has, in practical terms, torpedoed any prospect of AKEL supporting Michaelides — or any candidate coming from ALMA — for the House Speakership in the first instance. More significantly for the longer term, it has removed from the table any prospect of AKEL backing Michaelides in a future presidential bid. What is being discussed in party corridors now is how AKEL can avoid being caught off guard and avoid getting trapped in tactical dilemmas over candidates from other political formations — whether on the House Speaker question or on the push for progressive change the party plans to mount in 2028.
This development theoretically weakens the prospect of a Michaelides presidential candidacy, and that is likely to have an impact on Direct Democracy’s poll ratings. Wednesday’s ANT1 poll showed a dip in the party’s numbers — though that does not necessarily mean anything on its own. What will be telling is what follows, given that this is the final polling week before the May 24 election.
Stefanou fires back
Speaking on Astra radio on Wednesday, AKEL secretary-general Stefanos Stefanou dismissed Michaelides’s claims as groundless, noting that on certain matters he lacked detailed knowledge. He pointed out that Michaelides — who had presented himself as uncompromising on corruption and conflicts of interest — had stayed silent for two years without saying a word about what he now considers a clear-cut case of corruption.
Stefanou said Michaelides had chosen to speak now in order to pick up a few more votes. After two years of silence, he said, and because an election is upon us, Michaelides decided to hold him responsible for allegedly calling the Energy Minister to pressure him into awarding the contract to subcontractors — even though that, Stefanou said, was the government’s own position.
Michaelides steps back — but not entirely
On CyBC’s morning television programme on Wednesday, Michaelides struck a markedly different tone from his earlier attacks. Asked about the clash with Stefanou, he did not rule out the possibility of ALMA supporting Stefanou for the House Speakership. His reasoning: he does not consider Stefanou corrupt.
By contrast, Michaelides ruled out from the outset any support for Annita Demetriou, Nikolas Papadopoulos or Christos Christou for the post. Asked about Irene Charalambides, he described her as an excellent personality to take on the role of House Speaker.
The perjury question
Into this already charged atmosphere stepped Andreas Hasapopoulos, who according to a report by Offsite sent a letter to the Police Chief and the Attorney General requesting a criminal investigation into Michaelides for possible perjury.
The move prompted an intervention from Dimitris Papadakis, who asked publicly whether Michaelides would step down from the ballot to avoid casting shadows over his party. “I clarify that I do not endorse Hasapopoulos’s perjury allegations. But should I assume that ‘best international practices’ will apply — as they did in my case — and that you will withdraw from the ballot so that there are no shadows?” Papadakis wrote in a social media post.
Papadakis was himself removed from ALMA’s Nicosia ballot following publications by investigative journalist Makarios Drousiotis about the Sandy affair — before the authenticity of the messages in question had been established.
AKEL turns on DISY and DIKO over ELAM
AKEL returned to the attack on Wednesday, accusing DISY and DIKO of preparing an open cooperation with ELAM and saying the two parties had been hiding from the public for four days.
In a statement, the party said the two parties had opened the door to official cooperation with ELAM — for the House Speakership and, by implication, for the 2028 presidency — through interviews published in Sunday’s Kathimerini, while ELAM’s leader confirmed in a CyBC interview that supporting DISY again was an open possibility.
AKEL said that having relied on far-right votes to elect Anastasiades, Annita Demetriou and Christodoulides, and having whitewashed the far right for years, DISY and DIKO were now moving to the next stage and preparing open cooperation with ELAM — in order to continue sharing power and pass legislation ordered by banks and big businessmen. The party said it was embracing ELAM, which until recently it had itself been calling neo-Nazi, and that what DISY and DIKO were preparing was dangerous for democracy, the country and its people.
Demetriou: shipping shows what Cyprus can achieve
On the sidelines of the political turbulence, DISY leader Annita Demetriou addressed the 37th General Assembly of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber in Limassol on Wednesday, where she held up the shipping sector as a model for what Cyprus can achieve.
“Shipping is a critical and important sector for the Cypriot economy. But it is also an outstanding example of how, through sound and sustained work, cooperation with professionals, incentives and determination, we can achieve results of global reach that we can be proud of,” she said.
Demetriou added that DISY would stand against policies of toxicity, levelling and populism that endanger economic stability and act as a deterrent to the growth of sectors such as shipping.
EDEK: submit our own solution now
EDEK called for Cyprus to act pre-emptively on the Cyprus problem, submitting its own solution proposal before events overtake it. The call followed President Nikos Christodoulides’s recent statements about the possible submission of a solution plan.
EDEK noted it had already raised this in writing at the last National Council meeting. In a statement, the party said past experience with externally drafted solution plans — which had failed to take account of international law and Cyprus’s EU membership — made pre-emptive action essential.
The party’s proposal would include past convergences verified as compatible with EU acquis and the four freedoms of the European Union, as well as the full withdrawal of all troops with a set deadline and the complete abolition of the guarantee system, EDEK said.
Garoyian rallies DIPA faithful
Marios Garoyian used DIPA’s final pre-election rally on Wednesday to call on supporters to show their love for the homeland with actions rather than cheap promises.
“This is the moment of collective responsibility. This is the moment of political consensus and social cohesion,” he said, adding that this is precisely why Cyprus needs DIPA as a strong, centrist, patriotic and authentic political force.
“Let us proceed wisely and responsibly into this electoral battle. Let us make May 24 a celebration of democracy and the beginning of a new collective journey. On May 24, DIPA, through its participation in the new parliament with a strong presence, will write a new page in its own history and in the history of our country,” Garoyian said.
