Democratic Rally (DISY) leader Annita Demetriou said on Wednesday that the party’s unity was “certainly threatened”, as Averof Neofytou and Giorgos Pamborides, the two rivals for its presidential nomination, stood side by side at that day’s national holiday events.
The pair appeared together at the official thanksgiving service for the OXI Day anniversary and at the student parade that followed. Whether or not it was planned, the move was clearly symbolic. It was an attempt to send messages of unity to DISY supporters, at a time when introspection has become a permanent resident at the party’s Pindarou Street headquarters.
The contest took shape after Demetriou announced her interest in the nomination on Monday 28 September, then withdrew it ten days later, citing the need for unity. Candidacies have now been submitted, and members will vote on 28 November to choose between Pamborides and Neofytou.
Outgoing deputy leader Harris Georgiades has said he made his disagreement known as soon as Demetriou’s decision to withdraw became public. In his resignation letter to her, and in an interview on the philenews vidcast, he criticised the leadership’s handling of the process and said the appeal to unity was contrived.
Demetriou’s appeal
Asked by journalists after the parade in Nicosia whether the reactions threatened the party’s unity, Demetriou said it certainly did. That depended on everyone’s conduct and actions, she said, and all should put DISY first and, above DISY, Cyprus. The message of the day, she added, called on everyone to reflect.
She said she was very proud of a democratic process that should run flawlessly so that members could decide, and that their verdict must be fully respected. Small internal issues would exist, she said, but the party would deal with them through a genuine call for unity, not through extremes. As leader, she said, that was her priority.
On Georgiades, Demetriou referred to a social media post she made on Tuesday, in which she said she did not accept his resignation. “Issues are not resolved by resignations, but through dialogue,” she wrote, adding that she would pursue dialogue in the coming period. On Wednesday she said one more effort would be made, but stressed that members would vote, have their say and decide.
Georgiades’s resignation
Her statements show she will again try to lower the tone. The question is how Georgiades’s two positions can coexist. He has said he will not support Neofytou if he becomes the party’s candidate, yet he remains president of the Glafcos Clerides Institute. As a result, he will be absent from any campaign rallies. Demetriou’s point that issues are resolved through dialogue also raises the question of what, in this case, there is to discuss.
The choice between Pamborides and Neofytou will not change, and Georgiades is not expected to change his view either. A question also hangs over Demetriou’s change of stance on the nomination.
DISY’s problems persist because solutions were never found and past wounds never healed. The leadership is pursuing a conciliatory line, trying to keep a balance between the party’s factions and contain disagreements. Demetriou has followed that approach throughout her term, but it does not appear to have produced substantial results, or is at least often questioned, as disagreements flare up and introspection returns at every opportunity.
Reactions
Georgiades’s remarks had considerable impact, as he is a senior DISY figure. Yiannis Karousos and Demetris Demetriou said they disagreed with him. Andrea Manoli, special adviser on rule of law issues, resigned and sharply criticised Georgiades. Former DISY parliamentary spokesman Nikos Tornaritis indirectly criticised Neofytou in a social media post.
