Former Disy boss Averof Neophytou on Thursday had some advice for MEP and social media influencer Fidias Panayiotou, urging him to choose between being popular and being useful to his country.

During a podcast hosted by Panayiotou, there were moments of levity as the two teased each other.

At one point, Neophytou told the younger politician: “Sometimes you call me ‘grandfather’, you could be my son.”

He added: “You went into politics making mistakes, you’ve done things that provoked.”

Later during the conversation, Neophytou urged Panayiotou to choose between popularity and “doing the right thing for your country”.

Neophytou, who chaired the Disy party from 2013 to 2023, is aged 65. Panayiotou is 26 years old.

Their discussion also covered the Cyprus issue, with Neophytou criticising both President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman.

“We have no substantive negotiations. Each side blames the other,” he said.

He also complained that whenever something appears to be moving, certain quarters “start warning about the dangers of a settlement”.

The conversation turned to the internal poll conducted by Disy, which reportedly showed that current party leader Annita Demetriou is their best bet for the 2028 presidential elections.

The poll found that, among other Disy personalities, she stood the best chance of making it to the runoff, regardless of the other parties’ presidential nominees.

Here, Neophytou said he had not been consulted or even informed about the in-house poll.