Former health minister George Pamboridis on Friday said that House President and Disy leader Annita Demetriou commands his “absolute respect” after she withdrew her candidacy for the party’s nomination for the 2028 presidential elections a day prior, leaving him and former party leader Averof Neophytou to vie for Disy’s endorsement.

“Annita Demetriou faced challenges unlike almost any other politician. She was subjected to a coordinated campaign of undermining, fuelled by petty gossip and whispers, yet she rose to the occasion, proving herself worthy of the historic office she holds safeguarding party unity,” he said.

He added that he had “already admired her”, but that now, “she also commands my absolute respect”, before saying that “as long as [Demetriou] steers the party along the path charted by our founders, [she] will have my unabashed support”. 

Demetriou had on Thursday said that she had decided to not seek her party’s nomination for the 2028 election so as to preserve party unity, stressing that party members had expressed “concern and anxiety regarding the risk of division once again”.

“Such an outcome would be disastrous for our party and for our country. It would also have negative consequences for our ultimate effort. It is primarily my responsibility, as party leader, to prevent this, to safeguard Disy, an institution which stands above individuals,” she said.

She added that “for me, the unity and cohesion of our party are paramount”, and that therefore, “as the guardian of that unity, I have decided not to seek the nomination”.

“I reiterate that Disy must field its own candidate and move towards the presidential elections. The party’s democratic procedures will be followed, and the verdict of the members will be respected,” she said.

Her reference to there being division “once again” comes after two Disy members stood at the 2023 election, with Neophytou being the party’s endorsed candidate and Nikos Christodoulides standing as an independent, winning the backing of Diko, Dipa, and Edek.

Christodoulides later left Disy, and went on to win the election, while Neophytou finished the election in third place.

Averof, too, praised Annita for withdrawing

Neophytou, too, had praised Demetriou’s decision to pull out of the race, describing it as both “wise” and “responsible” on Thursday evening.

“For ten days now, I have stated that I support the request of a large proportion of our compatriots for a national awakening, which will bring us out of the nirvana of passivity, solve the big problems of this place, give prospects to young people, and build a just society,” he said.

He added that “the valuable and irreplaceable core of this Cyprus-wide movement is the membership of Disy”, and that the same party membership “also guards the unity of the party”.

“I have repeatedly declared to these wonderful people that I will never hurt them. After the announcement made by our party leader Annita Demetriou, who made a wise and responsible decision which strengthens the unity of our party, I have only one thing to say. We are moving forward together,” he said.

Disy members will vote on November 28 to decide who the party will endorse at the 2028 presidential election.