Marina Economides
Former Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides is expected to announce his candidacy in the coming days as an independent candidate. Preparations have been underway for some time and anticipation is growing as to his campaign platform and who his appointed advisors will be.
"K" had revealed last month that George Flessas was appointed the communications consultant for Nikos Christodoulides' campaign, which is significant due to his right-wing ties. Mr. Flessas was a staff member of the executive office of Konstantinos Mitsotakis, the former Prime Minister of Greece, but also active in the 2008 campaign of Giannakis Kasoulidis. Social media is expected to be a strong element in Christodoulides' campaign and there will surely be more names added to his communications team.
A sure bet for Christodoulides is the involvement of young people in his election campaign, as the possibility of mobilizing the new generation is considered to give him a significant lead.
According to reliable sources, Mr. Christodoulides plans to surround himself with mostly young people and volunteers during his initial media appearance, avoiding the use of public figures or party officials to further his cause.
- The context of his election campaign will be the following:
- A cross-party candidacy, hoping for support from more than one party
- Conflict avoidance and emphasis on the need for change
- Involvement of the youth and to emphasize that his campaign brings together those who otherwise wouldn't vote due to their disillusionment with politics and the political system.
Why the hurry?
The former foreign minister has already entered the process of studying surveys, focus groups and polls, and given that his popularity is not falling - despite the fact that he has not had a public position since January - he is in no hurry to announce. The assessment is that the sooner his campaign starts, the more attacks he will receive, most likely from within DISY, and consequently, may have a higher probability of failing. However, the fact that parties such as DIKO are preparing to support him, makes him want to announce even sooner so has to establish the fact that he is an independent candidate, unaffiliated with a specific party. Some DISY party members, however, are hoping that people associate Christodoulides with other parties, not as a truly independent candidate, so as to prevent him from garnering support from other members within the DISY party.
Christodoulides assumes that running as an independent has positive and negative connotations. The absence of a party affiliation brings to mind a lack of organizational structure and party support, whereas as an independent, he is set to be looked upon favorably by some DISY party members who are still undecided.
Politicians
What is certain, of course, is that there are politicians close to him, while there are many who are in consultation with him. Among them are the former deputy minister Vassilis Palmas, Lakkotrypis, and Costas Kadis in the background, while it is rumored that Prodromos Prodromou from the ruling party is also in favor of Christodoulides' candidacy. DIPA executives, as well as the Ambassador to Athens Kyriakos Kenevezos, view his candidacy positively. The secretary-general of DIKO, Athos Antoniadis, is very close to him, while other DIKO executives, such as Senekkis Koulias, Mylonas, and Savvidis, also view his candidacy positively. However, apart from political executives, the support he receives from the close circle of Anastasiades in Limassol does not go unnoticed, something that has already bothered Averof Neophytou, but also the support from the Church. A sure bet for Nikos Christodoulides is the involvement of young people in his election campaign, as the possibility of mobilizing the new generation is considered to give him a significant quantitative and qualitative lead.
