Onasagoras
Ms. Holguin saw Christodoulides on Friday and will meet Erhurman on Monday. On the ninth, all three will get together. Three talking, two dancing, as the Greek saying goes—everyone doing their own thing. The atmosphere is unlikely to be… electric. Friendly, probably, though hardly “three best friends sharing a bunch of grapes.” Young Nikos says the coming days will be critical—something we’ve been hearing for more than half a century—but remains optimistic. When has he ever been anything else? If there’s a window of hope, he says, he’ll open it. Open the window, let the cool May breeze blow through… We set off in one direction, and Holguin keeps taking us somewhere else entirely.
A DISY friend said something last night that gave me pause. “In ’23, Annita could have won the presidency, but Averof denied her the chance, fell flat on his face, and tore DISY apart. What happens if we go through the same thing in ’28?” What can I tell you, my friend? Probably what Pamboridis predicted: the knitted sweater will unravel, and we’ll be left… starkers.
“What makes me angry,” my friend continued, “is that Annita was pressured into pulling out even though she was the most electable.” But if she handled things in a way that left her vulnerable to that pressure, might that mean she wasn’t ready this year either? That question came from the third member of our party, an old DISY hand, and left us all deep in thought. For the record, we were at the notorious fish taverna. At the next table, eating—and perhaps eavesdropping with those enormous ears—sat the familiar elephant in the room.
On Wednesday, John Christodoulou met Fidias Panayiotou at a very well-known restaurant. According to my black surveillance van, one of the subjects discussed was the possibility of John running in the next presidential election. The meeting caused unease in Averof’s camp, since Foullis had taken Fidias’ support for granted. Rumors that Annita supporters arranged the meeting in pursuit of revenge — alongside party unity, naturally — are being investigated and dismissed as inaccurate.
John’s line about his head belonging to DISY and his heart to AKEL is still doing the rounds. So when he brought Konstantinos Argyros onstage at a charity concert organized by his foundation, someone remarked, "His head wanted Parios, his heart wanted Dalaras, and he settled on Argyros to avoid upsetting either side." He doesn’t put on airs, but he’s a brave young lad. That one’s for you.
A poll puts Averof ahead of Pamboridis, and up on the presidential hill they’re popping champagne, convinced they’re heading for a rerun of ’23. Still, count no man fortunate before the end—or clucking, as my innocent grandmother used to muddle it—because between now and March ’28, we’ll see plenty of twists. An upset in the internal party election is by no means out of the question. As the saying goes, the groom gets his shave at the end. The public, of course, gets fleeced all year round.
Resignations continue to pour down on DISY, and Annita—solid as a rock—refuses to accept a single one. “What do you think this is, EDEK?” a loud voice was heard asking at party headquarters on Pindarou Street. Some resign because something has upset them; others because the resignations of those who are upset aren’t being accepted. As a French philosopher once said, nothing satisfies me, and even if they made me God, I’d immediately hand in my resignation. Or, as Galani sang: I give up hoping we’ll work things out.
Myths, Truths and Possibles of the Week: If John runs for president, he’ll bring Vissi to the GSP stadium to sing Vasilis Papakonstantinou songs, with “Greetings to Those in Power” as his campaign anthem. Myth. AKEL’s Costas Costa is not related to Costas Costa, the comedy magician. Truth. Averof has offered the DISY presidency to Diplaros and Karousos. Possible.
