Organised crime has infiltrated politics, Democratic Rally (DISY) MP Giorgos Pamboridis said on Monday. “The issue of public safety must receive special attention, and the mechanisms that will shield the country need to be strengthened,” he said.
Speaking on ALPHA’s midday programme, Pamboridis said members of organised crime groups have access to politicians.
He also confirmed he will run for DISY’s nomination in the upcoming presidential election.
Pamboridis also set out his parliamentary priorities, saying public service efficiency concerns him and criticising the lack of any drive to improve productivity. “There’s no effort to increase productivity. A carnival has been set up around sick leave,” he said.
He added that the executive has shown no boldness in confronting public sector trade unions. “We can’t have a situation where we can’t meet our needs because half our nurses are on sick leave,” he said.
Presidential race: ‘The party leader should have had the first say’
Turning to the 2028 presidential election, Pamboridis said he is interested in DISY’s nomination. “I disagreed strongly with the constitutional change that hands the choice of candidate to the party membership. Senior party figures shouldn’t be pitted against each other before a major national election,” he said.
Pamboridis said this decision does not serve party unity. “The party leader should have had the first say. If there’s another candidate, that should have been decided by the party’s collective bodies, before deciding whether to put the matter to the membership,” he said.
He added that handing the decision to the membership is an evasion that risks fracturing party unity. “We were wrong to get into this game,” he said.
His proposal to his rivals
Pamboridis said he will stand in the internal party election even if his rivals are Averof Neophytou and Annita Demetriou. He urged anyone interested in the party’s nomination to hold joint consultations to determine who could win the first and second rounds of the presidential election.
He also addressed the scenario in which he would not run. “If we agree among ourselves on who is the party’s most suitable candidate, that would be a blessing. If my own candidacy doesn’t serve party unity and leads to losing the election, then I would step back. This is a decision that weighs on all of us,” he said.
