Disy leader and presidential candidate Averof Neophytou said whoever wins the elections will have to face the most difficult political conditions since the 1974 invasion.

“The next president’s actions, beliefs and alliances will be crucial factors for the government’s credibility and will determine whether our country will be able to successfully overcome the challenges ahead,” Neophytou said while addressing the 21st prize giving ceremony of the “Manolis Christofides” award in Nicosia on Wednesday night.

He also said that for the past 15 years parties in Cyprus have been trying to undermine Disy.

“The fact that we have clear values and ideas, the same ones that define our programme for the next presidential elections, has bothered many of the other parties,” he said bringing as examples “the patriotic realism for the resolution of the Cyprus problem and the country’s western orientation.”

In his speech, Neophytou also praised the work of Anastasiades’ administration.

“For the first time ever, the government managed to implement a comprehensive reform framework plan that brought our country in a new era.”

The Disy leader, however, said that Cyprus’ “strong economy is not a given”.

“The security, stability and social prosperity we have achieved in recent years are under threat,” he said, adding that the European economy is facing the worst winter since WW2 and that the ongoing war in Ukraine is threatening the world’s stability.

“The stability that the country has achieved must be preserved in the next five years and Disy is in the best position to do so,” he said.

“Our programme and our goal of a modern and digital Cyprus will make the country an example in the fields of technology and innovation.”