Cypriot president weighs in with ciphered message

Cyprus President and Democratic Rally (DISY) honorary President, Nicos Anastasiades, called on Friday for an end to the disputes between DISY top members so that room will be given for DISY members to exercise their free vote during the second round of presidential elections that will take place on Sunday, noting that he will not state his preferred candidate.

DISY President, Averof Neofytou, came third at the first round of the elections behind Nikos Christodoulides and Andreas Mavroyiannis, who are now the two runners for the presidency.

Anastasiades said in a written statement that “it is with deep sadness that I am obliged to intervene in what has happened over the past few days as a result of the electoral defeat in the first round.”

He noted that during DISY’s long-standing presence they experienced significant electoral successes and painful defeats as well, while recalling the spirit of DISY founder and former President Glafcos Clerides.

That was a leadership "which allowed us with cool heads to handle each result, recognising the true cause of defeat and press forward united and stronger than before,” the President noted.

Anastasiades also spoke about “efforts to muddy his legacy and reputation” but also that of the government’s body of work over the past ten years.

Anastasiades said that while he will not state his preferred candidate, he feels obliged to emphasise his key goals for the country going forward.

He said the first is the reunification of Cyprus with a clear European and Western orientation. There must be no disturbance in the strategic alliances struck in the region along with others such as the US, he noted.

Moreover, he stressed that fiscal discipline and stability must be maintained to avoid situations which gave rise to the financial crisis.

Finally, he said there must be an effective management of the migration issue.