A Diko advertisement alleging that the ruling Disy government is rife with corruption was pulled soon after it aired following backlash online.

The ad, which aired on Tuesday but was swiftly pulled, depicts a Disy voter – named Makis – calling an official asking to speak with the president – seemingly seeking a favour.

In the ad, the voter repeatedly calls on “bad days” – the president is on a trip to the Seychelles, the release of the Al Jazeera video, the Nicolatou report and so on.

The voter is consistently told that “today is a bad day” and that the president is not currently available.

After multiple attempts, spanning three years, the voter is called back and is told that the president is available to speak with him – at which point the voter declines, saying that “Now that you’re available, I’m not… I’ve decided, I’m voting Diko!”.

The intended message of the ad – highlighting a string of scandals and implying that Disy is corrupt – missed its mark.

The take-away for many is that the voter is seemingly undeterred by the scandals but is aggrieved at not being able to call in a favour, instead saying he will vote for Diko – perhaps trying his luck there.