DIKO maintains that discussion of the 2028 presidential election remains at a very early stage and that, at present, dialogue is taking place through local assemblies and district meetings. However, DIKO ministers in the Christodoulides administration are expressing the view that the party already has a candidate for 2028, pointing towards the current President of the Republic.
Party leader Nikolas Papadopoulos has not endorsed the ministers' position, but he is signalling that decisions will be taken through the party's collective bodies.
The question being raised, therefore, is whether DIKO will choose to change political camps by supporting another candidate in the presidential election. At the same time, speculation that ELAM may back Nikos Christodoulides in 2028 is creating a headache for the centrist party.
Schools of thought
The start of discussions within DIKO on the presidential election has highlighted four different schools of thought.
There is, firstly, the "presidential" camp, which wants cooperation with Nikos Christodoulides to continue.
At the same time, there is a centre-left tendency looking towards AKEL, arguing that an alliance with the Left and other opposition forces is feasible.
There is also the "party loyalist" camp, which believes DIKO should contest the presidential election independently with Nikolas Papadopoulos as its candidate.
A fourth school of thought also appears to have emerged, favouring the formation of a centre-right alliance with DISY, potentially including DIPA.
Dominant trend
Information obtained by Politis indicates that the prevailing tendency within DIKO is currently in favour of continuing support for Nikos Christodoulides.
This position has enjoyed majority support within the party since 2022, when the political "romance" between DIKO and Nikos Christodoulides began to develop. It appears unlikely to be overturned.
It is gaining ground even among officials who were previously favourably disposed towards cooperation with DISY and who promoted the vision of a centre-right alliance.
As a source within DIKO told Politis, Annita Demetriou's withdrawal from the race for the DISY nomination and Averof Neophytou's entry into the contest have generated a negative reaction within the centrist party.
The source added that Averof Neophytou's positions on the Cyprus issue alienate many DIKO officials and members.
As a result, the school of thought promoting cooperation with Pindarou has been significantly weakened.
Developments within DISY are also having a negative impact on the "party loyalist" camp. The argument is increasingly being made that a potential candidacy by Nikolas Papadopoulos would weaken Nikos Christodoulides and benefit Averof Neophytou, assuming that he ultimately becomes DISY's candidate.
The "party loyalist" school is unlikely to prevail because most recognise that a Nikolas Papadopoulos candidacy would have limited chances of reaching the second round without the support of at least one of the two major parties.
The conditions today are not the same as in 2018, when the DIKO leader ran with the backing of three additional parties. Even then, he failed to reach the second round.
Nor is the centre-left tendency likely to dominate, as many DIKO officials believe there is currently a significant political gap between the party and AKEL.
As an example, they cite major disagreements over the Republic of Cyprus' Western orientation and its relations with Israel.
They also stress that there is no alignment on socio-economic issues. It was not long ago that AKEL described DIKO as a servant of the banks.
The discontent
Questions about DIKO's position in the forthcoming presidential election were raised by statements from senior party officials critical of the Christodoulides government.
Indeed, over the past two years strong criticism has been voiced regarding the state of relations between the party and the government.
More recently, there was a public dispute between Nikolas Papadopoulos and Finance Minister Makis Keravnos over the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project.
Even today, many officials believe problems remain in the party's relationship with the government and acknowledge that the issue requires improvement.
There is also dissatisfaction with the degree of DIKO's participation in government, given that it is the only coalition party represented in parliament.
These issues have repeatedly created the impression that a political divorce was imminent.
The President gains ground
The dissatisfaction recorded among party officials does not appear to be reflected among the party's grassroots membership.
It is no coincidence that a more positive climate has begun to emerge even among this group of officials following the start of local meetings and district assemblies.
According to party sources, it became clear that President Christodoulides continues to enjoy strong support among the party base.
A party official told Politis that the idea of supporting Nikos Christodoulides is gaining momentum because the overall assessment of the government's performance is positive.
According to the official, DIKO sees no major problem that would justify withdrawing from the government.
However, the official stressed that "the picture within DISY has not yet become clear, nor do we know what will happen in AKEL".
The official nevertheless expressed the view that support for Nikos Christodoulides within DIKO would strengthen if Averof Neophytou's candidacy is confirmed and if there are "Tornaritis phenomena".
A second party source said the government's balance sheet is not negative, stressing that developments have not gone off the rails in any sector.
According to the source, DIKO is participating in a government that is on a positive course and rational thinking will ultimately prevail within the party's collective bodies.
The major obstacle
DIKO's support for Nikos Christodoulides in 2028 will not be an easy matter.
The major difference compared with 2023 is that there is now intense speculation that ELAM will support Nikos Christodoulides, and many consider cooperation between the two sides in the upcoming presidential election almost certain.
This is a new factor that places DIKO in a particularly difficult position.
Information obtained by Politis indicates that many DIKO officials view the prospect of finding themselves in the same camp as ELAM with considerable concern.
A party source told the newspaper that some officials appear determined to raise the issue forcefully.
In other words, they are expected to insist that support for the President of the Republic by ELAM should not occur in parallel with DIKO's backing.
Beyond reservations about the democratic character of an alliance with the far right, there is also concern within DIKO that ELAM could be legitimised in the eyes of DIKO voters if the two parties were to campaign together.
Such a development carries serious risks, as it could eventually lead to significant voter leakage from the centrist party to ELAM.
