George Pamborides opened a front against Averof Neophytou on Tuesday, a day after announcing that he is seeking Disy's nomination for the 2028 presidential election. In two television interviews, on Omega's morning programme Enimerosi Tora and on a midday programme on Alpha, the Nicosia MP and former health minister spoke about the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring that led to Nikos Christodoulides' appointment as foreign minister, about being sounded out by Akel and Diko ahead of the 2023 presidential election, and about the grievances of the party's former leader.
Asked on Alpha whether his distancing from Disy was because Nikos Anastasiades had not appointed him foreign minister, Pamborides replied that the post had been earmarked for Harris Georgiades. "A dishonest game was played against Harris to exclude him," he said, adding that the game was played by Nikos Christodoulides and Averof Neophytou so that the former would take over the ministry. "I know the backstory very well," he said. Christodoulides, until then government spokesman, took over the Foreign Ministry in 2018 and resigned in early 2022 to run for the presidency as an independent. Pamborides also referred to his own friction with Anastasiades, who, he said, had accused him of asking for the Energy Ministry. He said he denied this both publicly and privately, even pointing Anastasiades to witnesses.
The 'betrayals' of Averof
Despite his criticism, Pamborides said he understands Neophytou's personal bitterness. He described him as Anastasiades' closest associate for decades, a man who "took a lot of flak" for that choice and feels betrayed by him. Next, he continued, came Christodoulides, Neophytou's personal choice, whom he promoted "via the fast track," and, as Neophytou himself says, Annita Demetriou. Personal feelings, however, have no place when the party is heading into such a critical electoral contest, Pamborides said.
'This little game bothers me'
Earlier, Pamborides turned to the ambiguity surrounding Neophytou, who announced on 27 September that he will be a candidate for the presidency without clarifying whether he will go through the party's statutory procedures, while Disy's headquarters on Pindarou Street has responded that this is the only route to the nomination. "This little game bothers me, but so be it. It does him no credit," he said. Had he played the same game himself, Pamborides said, he would have been accused of betraying Disy, something he has not heard said about Neophytou. He does not believe, however, that the former leader will move outside Disy, as that would be, in his words, a contradiction given his record. He recalled 2008, when Ioannis Kasoulides initially announced his candidacy as an independent in coordination with the leadership and was subsequently backed by the party. Neophytou may have had that scenario in mind, Pamborides said, but he should have coordinated it with the leadership.
Akel, Diko and being 'a little bit pregnant'
On his talks with Akel and Diko, which his critics have raised again in recent weeks, Pamborides confirmed that the two parties, along with others he did not name, sounded him out in the summer of 2021 about a cross-party candidacy, as they were looking for a right-wing candidate. The discussion collapsed early, he said, because he could not accept the guidelines put to him. By then he had already distanced himself from Disy, having denounced since 2019 a drift towards the far right and choices made by the second Anastasiades government. He attributed the revival of the issue to the Christodoulides camp. He is being accused of having been "a little bit pregnant" by those who "were pregnant," he said. Christodoulides running as an independent was legitimate in his view. What is immoral, he argued, is his return "to the scene of the crime" to fish for votes in Disy's pool.
Pamborides also returned to the "extra-institutional interventions" he had denounced the previous week. Major publishers and prominent journalists have always meddled in political developments, he argued, and as a member of Kasoulides' campaign team in 2008 he saw many of them lecturing the candidate. The problem, he added, is the politicians who elevate them to interlocutors. On Annita Demetriou, he said her bid for the presidency of the House was not the right tactical move, and that in her place he would have sought an understanding with Nikolas Papadopoulos on the next government.
The 500 signatures
Pamborides believes he can win back disillusioned Disy supporters and reach out to the political centre, and even to Akel voters. He is speaking about the nomination, not the party leadership, and warned that if Disy loses in the first round it will enter an existential crisis. On the 500 signatures required by the party statute, he said the difficulty lies in their proportional distribution across districts. Candidacies are to be submitted on 26 October and the internal vote, involving around 49,000 members, has been set for 28 November. "If I cannot find 500 people, I had better not stand," he said.
