By Petros Afxentiou, Frixos Dalitis
Averof Neofytou arrived at the Democratic Rally’s (DISY) Pindarou Street headquarters shortly after 11.30am on Monday to submit his bid for the party’s presidential nomination, calling on DISY to unite behind whoever its members choose.
The former DISY leader, accompanied by his wife, said he was submitting his candidacy to the judgement of the party’s thousands of members with a sense of responsibility and emotion, describing DISY as his home and his extended family.
Addressing young people, he said he shared their struggles and frustration and knew how hard it was for them to make ends meet. He also spoke to the older, white- and grey-haired members he had grown up with in the party, saying he knew they could not cope with a cost of living that was ‘bone-crushing’.
“It is a pledge of honour. I will never hurt you!” he said.
Neofytou said everyone in the party must stand united behind the candidate members choose. That applied not only to his rival, of whom he said he was sure, but to the whole leadership, party officials and DISY’s tens of thousands of members.
Giorgos Pamborides is reportedly due to arrive an hour later, at 12.30pm. The nomination papers are being received by Andreas Stavrinides, head of the party’s organisation directorate.
DISY leader Annita Demetriou will not be present because of prior commitments in the House of Representatives, and deputy leader Efthymios Diplaros is abroad, party sources said.
DISY deputy spokeswoman Xenia Konstantinou told philenews it was a historic day, as this was the first time the party had held such a process. She said the signatures backing both candidacies had already been checked for validity and “everything is fine”.
No surprises are expected, since candidates need 500 signatures, 100 of them from members of the Supreme Council. Had anyone else intended to collect them, it would already have become known.
Neofytou’s camp estimated that several hundred supporters would turn out for him. Among those already at the party offices were Giorgos Georgiou, Nikos Georgiou, Charalambos Pazaros, Eleni Stavrou, Mariella Aristidou and Fragkiskos Fragkos.
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