Many DISY members left a heated Political Bureau meeting deeply troubled, according to accounts of what was said inside. The meeting came amid the fallout from a dinner attended by party leader Annita Demetriou.
Former DISY deputy leader Harris Georgiades said on Sunday that he accepted Demetriou’s denial that any discussion or deal took place in her presence at the dinner. However, in an interview with Kathimerini, he said he expected her to make absolutely sure that no publisher, journalist or other outside figure had the slightest involvement in DISY’s processes. “For some of us, it is a non-negotiable condition,” he said.
Georgiades also warned that the associate referred to by former DISY leader Averof Neofytou has, and must have, no role in the party’s procedures or decisions. He said the image DISY was projecting benefited President Nikos Christodoulides and AKEL, and blamed Neofytou for leaving open the possibility of an independent candidacy. Demetriou had the first say, Georgiades said, since she had secured the support she needed, including Neofytou’s, and had been elected leader by party members.
Demetriou confirmed for the first time that she had attended the dinner, at a well-known fish tavern in Nicosia, in a statement after the Political Bureau meeting. She took four days to respond, by which time everyone else present had given their version in response to Neofytou’s allegations. In the meantime, two current affairs presenters on different TV channels had said on air, citing sources close to her, that she had not been at the dinner.
Talk in DISY circles has now turned to the role non-party figures play in DISY and whether they shape its affairs, regardless of what was or was not said at the dinner. Party figures are also asking whether there were other dinners with different guests, attended by Demetriou, her associate and other politicians.
Political Bureau meeting
The leadership tried to project unity after the meeting. According to the accounts, however, the shouting heard outside came from strong contributions by some members, not from faulty microphones or poor acoustics. Demetriou clashed with Michalis Sofokleous, and the atmosphere was tense at times.
Former Defence Minister Christoforos Fokaides was especially outspoken, referring to unacceptable situations, according to the same accounts. At one point, a female member of the bureau stood up to protest to Demetriou that she was not being given the floor.
Party veterans and parliament members who spoke to Phileleftheros seemed seriously concerned about the general state of the party. They were also concerned about what they described as the risk of it breaking up.
Pamborides
Many in the party take it for granted that Giorgos Pamborides will run in the party’s internal election, but he has not yet officially announced his candidacy. He met Demetriou before the Political Bureau meeting.
His contribution at the meeting drew attention for two reasons. One was his sharp opposition to the Christodoulides government. The other was that, despite his public statements on the fast-track process agreed for choosing a candidate, he told the bureau he needed only three to four days.
Some in the party leadership appear to favour a Pamborides candidacy for two reasons. It could weaken Neofytou’s arguments should he run outside the party, and it could give Demetriou’s candidacy greater legitimacy within the party by having her win an internal election.
