Our View: Demetriou must fight back against Anastasiades

Every president of the Republic, once he has left office goes home and keeps a relatively low profile. Nicos Anastasiades is proving the grand exception to this convention, as he has not given up his efforts to exercise control over Disy, the party he had led until his election to the presidency.

Not that he stopped wielding influence over the party in the ten years that Averof Neophytou was in charge, but it was thought that when he gave up the presidency, he would also end his interest in Disy and allow the new leadership to establish itself. On the contrary, for the last ten months he has been trying to muscle his way back into the party, which he seems to regard as his ownership. There are still Anastasiades loyalists who ignore his toxic influence which deeply divided the party during last year’s presidential elections, and continue to do his bidding, undermining the new leader and maintaining the division.

New leader Annita Demetriou had tried to restrict his meddling by setting up an advisory body of former leaders, ex-deputies, and retired officials of Disy, to meet and submit proposals to the leadership. The idea was that this body would force Anastasiades to operate within a certain structure in which he could not always have his way. The experiment did not work as the meddling has not stopped.

It was blatantly obvious in the political office’s selection process for the municipal elections, with Anastasiades backing as Disy candidate for the Paphos district chief, Costas Constantinou, a member who had backed the Christodoulides camp in the elections, ignoring the party line. Anastasiades argued that in backing someone who openly fought against the party candidate in the presidential elections, party unity would be restored.

The man who split the party is now giving lessons on how ensure unity. Constantinou’s candidacy, thanks to Anastasiades’ backing, was approved, embarrassing the leader of the party, who could not stop the former president’s machinations. What is worse is that Constantinou is not on speaking terms with the Paphos mayor, Phedonas Phedonos, who will be seeking re-election – if Anastasiades permits him.

It appears that Anastasiades would not give up his scheming until he either splits the party in two or takes control of it. Demetriou cannot sit back and allow this discredited, self-serving former president to openly undermine and publicly embarrass her. She needs to fight back both publicly and covertly. If she does not, Anastasiades will take complete control. Concerns about keeping the unity of the party ahead of elections should be put aside. Demetriou needs to stand up and fight now, regardless of the consequences, because the alternative is becoming a lame duck leader.