Rafaela Dimitriadi
DISY’s choice of a candidate for the 2028 presidential election is shaping up as a two-person race between former party leader Averof Neofytou and former Health Minister Giorgos Pamborides.
Anyone seeking the party’s nomination must submit a list of 500 supporters by Friday, Oct. 23, so the party can check it before candidacies are formally filed on Monday, Oct. 26.
DISY members will vote on Saturday, Nov. 28, to decide who will represent the party in the presidential election.
How Neofytou’s announcement unfolded
Neofytou’s decision to announce his presidential bid on Sept. 27 set the announcements in motion but also unsettled DISY, as he did not clarify whether he would seek the party’s nomination or run outside its procedures.
The absence of any reference to DISY in his initial announcement opened another chapter of internal tension. The debate centered largely on whether he would pursue the presidency through the party’s established selection process.
His announcement prompted the DISY leadership to act. Under mounting pressure, party leader Annita Demetriou announced the very next day that she intended to seek the party’s presidential nomination.
Uncertainty over Neofytou’s intentions continued through Sept. 29. At a news conference that day, he again avoided giving reporters a clear answer on whether he would follow the party’s procedures, telling them, "The procedures will come in their own time.”
Although some took it for granted that the former leader would go through DISY’s selection process, his stance left every possibility open. Meanwhile, calls from some party figures for the potential contenders to agree on a consensus candidate appeared unlikely to bear fruit.
A social media post in which Neofytou assured DISY supporters that he would never betray them eased some of the doubts. It could not, however, be considered a formal announcement that he would enter the party contest.
“We have walked this path together for 50 years,” he wrote on Oct. 5. “Through the difficult times and the easy ones. Through joy and sorrow. Through successes and failures.”
His collection of the candidacy and signature-gathering forms was seen as another significant step.
Pamborides pushes back, then enters the race
Events within DISY had become something of a race against time after the party’s Executive Bureau announced the timetable on Sept. 30.
The initial decision to set Oct. 13 as the date for filing candidacies drew objections from Pamborides. The former health minister voiced concerns about the “tight deadlines,” prompting a revised timetable. DISY’s Political Bureau subsequently moved the filing date to Oct. 26.
On Oct. 5, the same day as Neofytou’s social media post, Pamborides announced that he, too, would seek the party’s nomination.
Neofytou’s prolonged ambiguity caused growing irritation at DISY headquarters. Pamborides openly expressed his frustration, accusing the former party leader of “playing games.”
Demetriou withdraws
The tense atmosphere and the party’s increasingly inward-looking debate led Demetriou to withdraw from the nomination race.
She cited party unity as the deciding factor. Although reports suggested she had made the decision following political pressure, Demetriou insisted it was entirely her own choice.
The DISY leadership also sought to send a message of unity, issuing a statement urging Neofytou and Pamborides to keep the tone measured ahead of the internal contest.
Neofytou confirms his intentions
The weeks following Neofytou’s Sept. 27 announcement brought a succession of disagreements, reversals and uncertainty over his intentions. His refusal to reveal his plans deepened divisions and kept the party consumed by its internal affairs.
Nearly four weeks after his initial announcement unsettled DISY, Neofytou finally ended the speculation, announcing on Oct. 20 that he would seek the nomination through the party’s internal procedures.
