Cypriot billionaire John Christodoulou said on Thursday that his political loyalties were split, as he explained why he is considering running for President of the Republic.
“My mind is with DISY, but my heart is with AKEL,” he said when asked about his relations with the political parties, speaking on Sigma’s ‘Mesimeri kai Kati’ programme.
Christodoulou said he was not a politician and did not speak or think like one, and that he could use his experience in business and negotiations for the good of the country. He said he expected that, if he did run, some people would put obstacles in his way.
Asked whether he had an ideology, he said he had his own way of thinking. Cyprus had lost 52 years, he said, adding that he wanted the country back as one and that a solution had to be found for its security.
Turkey had to be brought back to the negotiating table so that the Cyprus problem could finally be solved, he said.
Explaining his optimism that he could solve it, Christodoulou said he had suffered as a refugee, that his parents’ and grandparents’ generation had lost their land and been left poor, and that he was still hurting.
He confirmed that he was friends with Fidias Panayiotou, the Direct Democracy Cyprus MEP, who is reportedly the person who brought his name into discussions with parties other than Direct Democracy ahead of the 2028 election. Christodoulou said the two were friends and talked, but that he also knew people from other parties. Everyone loved Cyprus, he said, and they all had to find a solution together.
