Giorgos Pamborides, one of two contenders to be the Democratic Rally’s (DISY) presidential candidate, said on Monday that his rival, former party leader Averof Neofytou, had acted in his political career as the protector of entrenched interests. The two men are running parallel campaigns for the nomination, each seeking ways to reach the party’s grassroots.
“He is flesh and blood of the system,” Pamborides told the Philenews political vidcast. He argued that Neofytou represented the way Cyprus and DISY had done politics in recent years. The disagreements between them had been fundamental, he added, and his own approach was to enter politics to act for the good of society, not of particular interests.
Someone who had held all positions of power for 35 years had given clear political signals of who he was and where he was heading, Pamborides said. In 35 years, he added, you should have been able to do what you set out to do.
He described his platform as a modern, radical centre-right direction, in contrast to Neofytou’s. He argued that DISY needed to turn the page, and that by choosing him the party would leave behind the people and events that had hurt it in 2023.
He named three challenges for DISY supporters and wider society, all of which he said his victory in the internal contest would answer. The party needs a candidate who can unite its centrifugal forces, reach the second round and avoid a repeat of 2023, and win the presidential election.
A DISY candidate with substantial disagreements with the party’s positions could undermine its unity, he said. He would nevertheless respect the verdict of DISY members, adding that anyone who enters a process must accept the result.
Asked how he had voted in 2023, since he says he did not support Neofytou because of their disagreements, Pamborides said he had never undermined Neofytou’s candidacy. He said he had not urged even close family members not to vote for him, and had acted as a private individual, like any citizen.
Neofytou on tour
Neofytou, for his part, spent the weekend touring mountain communities and talking to residents. He had said in a written statement last week that he would focus on communicating with party members.
In a social media post with photographs, he described a Sunday in the Troodos villages. It took in a church service in Kyperounta, coffee at the village coffee shop, the wine village of Platanistasa, Spilia for the Palouze Festival, and Foini. He thanked people for their warm welcome.
He has also announced open meetings with party members at local committees: in Agioi Omologites and Kaimakli on Tuesday afternoon, and in Aglantzia on Wednesday.
