George Pamboridis said his candidacy for DISY’s 2028 presidential nomination could win back voters who moved to the far-right ELAM while also attracting support from centrist DIKO and even left-wing AKEL, as the former health minister set out the electoral reach he believes he can offer the party.
Pamboridis, who formally entered the DISY nomination race on Monday, also criticised former party leader Averof Neofytou for continuing to leave unclear whether he will contest the presidency through DISY’s internal process or pursue a candidacy outside it.
Neofytou requested DISY’s nomination and signature forms on Monday but said on Tuesday that “nothing changes”, maintaining that his presidential candidacy is addressed to society as a whole rather than to a particular party or its members.
Speaking on Omega TV, Pamboridis said his political proposal was aimed first at DISY voters but could reach considerably beyond the party.
He said some traditional DISY supporters had become alienated from the party in recent years, including voters who moved further to the right towards ELAM, and argued that they should be brought back.
At the same time, he said his candidacy could appeal to voters in the political centre and even to some AKEL supporters.
Talks with AKEL and DIKO in 2023
Pamboridis also confirmed that he held discussions with AKEL and DIKO ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
He said the parties had been looking for a right-wing candidate capable of heading a broader, cross-party candidacy.
According to Pamboridis, the discussions did not result in an agreement because he was unable to accept some of the conditions or political parameters put before him.
Why he returned to DISY
Pamboridis also addressed his earlier decision to distance himself from DISY.
He said he stepped away after concluding that the party had strayed from the principles and values he had believed in from an early age, and returned when he believed there was an opportunity to bring it back towards those principles.
He rejected comparisons between his own criticism of previous DISY leaderships and politicians who left the party in pursuit of positions elsewhere, saying his stance had been driven by loyalty to the party’s principles rather than personal political advancement.
‘Averof’s little game bothers me’
Pamboridis was more direct when discussing Neofytou’s position.
“Averof’s little game bothers me,” he said.
“I could have played it too and they would have told me that I was betraying DISY,” he added, saying he had not heard similar accusations directed at Neofytou so far.
Pamboridis stressed that he was not himself accusing Neofytou of betraying the party.
“It would be paradoxical to see Averof Neofytou operating outside DISY,” he said.
Neofytou’s position remains a central uncertainty in the developing nomination contest. His decision to collect the party’s internal election forms has not been accompanied by a declaration that he will limit his candidacy to DISY’s process.
Pamboridis formally announced his bid on Monday, joining the internal contest at a time of heightened tensions within DISY over its choice of candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
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