A source close to former Disy leader Averof Neophytou confirmed to the Cyprus Mail on Thursday that he has thrown his hat into the ring for the 2028 presidential election.

Asked in regard to support for his candidacy within Disy, the source said the decision was made “regardless of the party procedures” and it was entirely at the “discretion of the party to decide whether to back him or not”.

Neophytou himself tied his candidacy to whether or not there would be significant progress on the Cyprus issue during the United Nations general assembly.

Speaking on Omega on Wednesday, he referred to himself in the third person and said that “if, God forbid, the weekend is bleak, a dead end, and nothing moves, Averof will be a candidate”.

He reiterated that he was ready to stand if there were no developments, and said even a small confidence building measure could count as movement, in which case political forces should back the effort.

Disy MP Demetris Demetriou said the party “will adhere to its statutes” in choosing its candidate.

Speaking on Politis radio, he said he hoped Neophytou would not announce his candidacy on Monday and that developments would delay any announcement.

Demetriou defended the idea of letting party members have a say in choosing the candidate.

“Democracy has never been a dead end, it’s a healthy system”, he said.

Neophytou also lambasted his own party Disy as well as Akel, accusing both of setting the Cyprus problem aside for political expediency.

Andreas Mavroyiannis, another potential candidate who appeared on the same programme, has said he will decide by the end of the year whether to run.

He commended Neophytou as being “a formidable opponent”.