Cyprus’s ruling DISY party is heading for an internal clash between House Speaker and party president Annita Demetriou and former party leader Averof Neofytou, after Neofytou signalled that Demetriou owes him, more or less, her re-election as Speaker.
Neofytou made the point while referring to his last meeting with Demetriou, at which MEP Fidias Panayiotou was also present. On its own, the remark might not carry much weight, but combined with various direct and indirect messages being sent to Demetriou urging her to reconsider her plans, things take on a different complexion.
Following that remark and Neofytou’s public comments, moves were made towards Demetriou, according to sources with close knowledge of the matter. Those moves, the sources said, had one clear aim: persuading the DISY president to step aside for Neofytou’s benefit.
Demetriou has given a negative answer to any such moves or advice urging her to delay her interest in the presidential election by five years. She has made clear to those carrying such messages that she does not intend to step back. Her refusal to shelve her own candidacy rests on two pillars she considers important.
Recent polling showed her with a lead over potential internal rivals for the party’s nomination, namely Neofytou and Giorgos Pamporidis. A further strong card in her hand is that the polls show her performing better against President Nikos Christodoulides than either of the other two would.
She currently appears to be in full control within DISY, nicknamed the “blue apartment block,” with the party leadership behind her, a position considered a strong asset once the internal pre-election contest begins and attention turns to the party’s grassroots.
A tough battle is expected over who ultimately prevails within the “blue camp,” senior party officials acknowledge. A clash between Demetriou and Neofytou is coming, a topic already being discussed in party circles after Neofytou’s recent interviews gave the first sign of what lies ahead.
His targeted comments, both on the Speaker election and on the polling, are a further point of discussion within the party, with many reading his remarks as an indirect challenge to the survey’s findings.
In his conversation with Panayiotou, Neofytou said the party president never informed him she was considering commissioning polls, nor told him the result. He said she sought neither his consent nor his opinion, and that he had no part in choosing the polling company or the questionnaire.
Those who know Neofytou see these remarks as reflecting discomfort over how Demetriou handled the matter. He said what he learned about being informed came only from what he read in the newspapers, and that these were serious matters to be handled in that way.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Neofytou sent another message aimed at Demetriou and more broadly at DISY’s leadership: “Unity is not a slogan, it is an act.”
With these comments, Neofytou questioned Demetriou’s handling of the matter. He also cast doubt on whether the party leader is guided by unity.
