Nikos is not waiting for the sheep to leave the fold. He has gone inside. And now he speaks to them directly. He appoints them. He makes use of them. He offers them roles. He gives them political space. And most importantly, he keeps them waiting, allowing them to remain where they are. Because the most effective way to win over a fold is not to drive the sheep out. It is to gain influence while they are still inside.
And if, by 2028, enough of “his people” are still inside DISY and DIKO, then Nikos will not need to knock on the door. He will already have the keys. His political influence will have penetrated the parties' own folds. And he does not need the entire party on his side. Part of it is enough. In Cyprus' political life in recent years, a paradoxical phenomenon has emerged: Nikos himself enters the fold and chooses his prey, instead of the usual pattern whereby the lambs leave the fold and are eaten by the wolf.
The conquest
As the 2028 presidential election approaches, Nikos Christodoulides' conquest of DISY and DIKO through the lure of appointments to various positions appears to be intensifying. The most striking examples were the appointment of DIKO's two vice-presidents to government posts (M. Damianou in January 2024 and N. Charalambides in December 2025), without prior consultation with the party leader.
This was followed by last Wednesday's appointment (16 September 2026) of Nicos Tornaritis, until the May parliamentary elections the DISY parliamentary spokesman and a close associate of the party leader, to the tailor-made position of the President's special envoy on the Cyprus problem for Africa and Asia.
The party leader learned of the appointment by telephone from Mr Tornaritis shortly before the official announcement, while the Council of Ministers was in session to approve it. According to Tornaritis himself, she simply wished him “all the best”.
The Foreign Ministry, however, already has an Africa Department and an Asia Department, each with its own head and staff. In April 2024, retired ambassador Constantinos Iliades was appointed special envoy of the Foreign Ministry for Africa with the aim of strengthening Cyprus' diplomatic presence on the African continent.
Presidential Palace, Pindarou, Platres
The Tornaritis appointment sparked conflict within DISY and generated endless political commentary, as well as intense trolling on social media.
DISY vice-president Yiannis Karousos, making the rounds of various media outlets, did not mince his words:
“At least dear Nicos is not hiding, unlike others. In this way he has taken a position that he is with Nikos Christodoulides [...]. I expect others to come out and say publicly now that they are with Christodoulides and leave DISY. We do not want to go into elections with people who are at the Presidential Palace in the morning and at Pindarou by noon.”
In addition, Yiannis Karousos and DISY deputy president Efthymios Diplaros clashed over a gathering or party in Platres attended by the President and Mr Diplaros.
Mr Karousos, who frequently refers to “Christodoulides' attempt to infiltrate DISY”, spoke during an online meeting of the party leadership, in Diplaros' absence, of a presidential pre-election gathering in Platres and referred to “betrayal” and a “sell-out”.
The party leader convened a meeting for Monday immediately upon returning to Cyprus from Andorra, where she had been attending, in her capacity as Speaker of the House, the 19th Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of the Small European States.
A foot in both camps
The Presidential Palace insists that Tornaritis' appointment serves “absolutely no pre-election purpose whatsoever” and says it was made because he served for 13 years as head of the Cypriot delegation to the Asian Parliamentary Assembly and was head of the Cypriot delegation and vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Tornaritis himself asked during television appearances:
“Who would dare tell me that I must sever my ties with DISY? Whoever has the courage, let them come and tell me [...]. Since when did we turn DISY into a closed club for certain people?”
Although the DISY leadership is officially keeping a low profile, it is deeply irritated by both Christodoulides and Tornaritis, because this is not the first time the President has “shopped” from the party's ranks.
Previous examples include appointments of DISY figures to his cabinet and approaches to party officials with attractive offers for positions. Further “improper” proposals to DISY figures are reportedly expected. Former Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou, who has developed close ties with the President and assists him in contacts with local DISY officials, is said to be next in line.
Tornaritis, meanwhile, has never hidden his sympathy for the President and his efforts to bring DISY closer to Nikos Christodoulides are well known.
Nevertheless, Annita Demetriou has already made clear that DISY is in opposition and that the party will contest the presidency with its own candidate, rejecting any scenario of cooperation with Nikos Christodoulides.
Trojan horses
The President has now established a stable political channel between the Presidential Palace and DISY-DIKO, with Trojan horses in both parties ensuring that he remains fully informed about internal party concerns, discussions and planning, while at the same time building a network from within through local mid-level party figures.
At present, four DIKO figures serve in government: Damianou at the Energy Ministry, Charalambides at the Health Ministry, Tsolaki at the Transport Ministry and Senekis at the Agriculture Ministry.
The two DIKO vice-presidents, Damianou and Charalambides, recently stated that the party already has a presidential candidate for 2028: Nikos Christodoulides. The remarks angered DIKO president Nicolas Papadopoulos, who responded that no decisions have yet been taken by the party's competent bodies and that all options remain open.
Similar statements have been made by DIKO deputy president Christiana Erotokritou.
The reality, however, is that President Christodoulides is trying, if he has not already succeeded, to conquer DIKO as well through appointments and political rewards. For now, he has four DIKO ministers and one deputy minister in his government.
All for the... Cyprus problem
Meanwhile, Averof Neophytou announced the meeting he held with President Christodoulides last Wednesday (16 September 2026) “ahead of the upcoming meetings in New York on the Cyprus problem”.
He repeated what he frequently writes on X/Twitter, namely that the national issue stands above everything else.
But the key message, directed at Annita Demetriou, lies in the final sentence of Averof Neophytou's statement:
“I also repeated my public position that if the President reaches a strategic agreement on the Cyprus problem, he will find me standing beside him.”
Discussions are already taking place in various circles in Nicosia that if the DISY leader insists on running for the presidency in 2028, the former party leader may devote all his energies to supporting another candidate.
The useful candidate
At the same time, another interesting political scenario is unfolding.
Former DISY president Averof Neophytou, who failed to be elected President of the Republic in 2023 for reasons that also include internal undermining, is said to be eager for a rematch in 2028. At any cost, it would appear.
He is pushing internal party procedures for selecting DISY's presidential candidate towards spring 2027, citing developments on the Cyprus problem as justification, in order to gain time and strengthen his support among the party base that will choose the 2028 nominee.
In addition, results from an opinion poll were leaked to a political column without identifying the pollster or the client. In that survey, a candidacy by Kyriakos Kenevezos, former DIKO secretary-general and former Cypriot ambassador to Athens, suddenly appeared and was credited with 4% in the first round.
Kyriakos Kenevezos could potentially be used as a useful candidate to draw votes away from Christodoulides, providing a second-round ticket to whoever commissioned the survey, assuming that person succeeds in securing the nomination.
Ready and waiting
The candidate most widely seen as likely to reach the second round in 2028 is Andreas Mavroyiannis, provided AKEL supports him again, which appears increasingly likely.
Several opinion polls conducted recently have given him particularly strong numbers.
It is also worth noting that Mavroyiannis says he will announce his candidacy in December, before AKEL reaches its decision.
Averof Neophytou continues to place emphasis on the Cyprus problem, implying that if DISY proceeds with internal procedures before Christmas, he will neither participate nor be bound by the outcome.
Both Nikos Christodoulides and Annita Demetriou, meanwhile, say they are still considering their plans for the 2028 presidential election.
For an empty shirt
Christodoulides does not necessarily need to win over all of DISY. Nor does he need all of DIKO.
It is enough for him to create within those parties a sufficiently strong current that views supporting him in 2028 as politically natural.
That is very different from an official inter-party alliance, which requires decisions by collective bodies, negotiations, agreement on a programme and a distribution of political rewards.
Political infiltration works differently. It creates individuals within parties who have a direct relationship with the Presidential Palace, hold governmental roles, enjoy public visibility and can influence internal discussions while carrying information back and forth.
Can Christodoulides build by 2028 a political army of his own within the traditional centre-right without ever formally bringing either party entirely into his camp? He can.
Is Christodoulides doing something politically improper by working with officials from DISY and DIKO? The issue begins when government appointments cease primarily to serve the country and the state and instead begin serving the political future of the person making them.
So is what Christodoulides is doing politically ethical? It is as politically ethical as senior party figures “selling” their party overnight for an empty shirt, for a government chair.
