Olive Pits
Limassol DISY and the Cost of Favouritism
The base in Limassol is simmering over Diplaros. Yes, the waters are far from calm within DISY Limassol. According to information obtained by Politis, there is strong discontent among candidates following moves by the deputy president, who is said to be promoting two favoured figures from his inner circle.
The irritation is widespread, particularly at a time when society appears exhausted by mechanisms and internal favours. Some speak of practices reminiscent of other eras, precisely when what should matter is equal terms for all. “If this continues, we will all pay the price,” one candidate told us. As someone familiar with the people and dynamics put it: “This is not the time for balancing games. People are watching.”
Erhürman, Political Equality and Our Side’s Silence
Tufan Erhürman, commenting on the Greek Cypriot side’s approach to the four preconditions he set, rejected the claim that three of them are accepted, stressing that if this were the case it would already have been announced.
He underlined that on the first point, political equality, there is partial convergence but no full agreement without a rotating presidency. According to him, a structure in which Turkish Cypriots could never become President cannot be considered politically equal.
We agree with him. What we do not understand is our own side’s stance. If Erhürman places this condition, which between ourselves we will eventually have to accept, why do we not place one of our own instead of talking nonsense and reopening convergence debates? What could we say? That negotiations cannot begin as long as the Turkish side insists on permanent Turkish guarantees in Cyprus.
The CyBC Poll and the Politics of Punishment
The CyBC poll repeated the message voters have been sending politicians for the past two years. Traditional parties DISY, AKEL, DIKO and EDEK are losing significant ground to newer or newly formed populist parties such as ELAM, ALMA and Direct Democracy.
Who votes for these new parties? Mainly people aged 18 to 45. Do they believe ELAM, Odysseas or Faidias will solve their problems, namely low wages and lack of affordable housing? The answer is clearly no.
Anyone who follows these parties knows that neither Christou of ELAM, nor Odysseas of ALMA, nor Faidias of Direct Democracy has a concrete plan on these issues, let alone broader matters such as energy or water management.
So why does the public vote for them? The answer has been simple for years. They want to punish the traditional parties. Parties with mechanisms and think tanks. Parties that could offer solutions but instead treat power not as a means to solve people’s problems but as loot.
Odysseas and the Silence of the Judges
One truly wonders about our dear Odysseas Michaelides. Judge Varosiotou eventually found three judges to defend her, despite losing her Supreme Court appeal by five to three. By contrast, Odysseas Michaelides found not a single one. He lost eight to zero.
Irene Piki and the Art of Saying Nothing
Deputy Minister Irene Piki appeared to explain the video implicating the President, Charalambos and Lakkotrypis. “I also made statements after the session, and the President did as well. We are waiting for the results of the criminal investigation to see how certain images in that video were greatly distorted,” she said.
Irene, please do not deafen us. Officially, the hybrid warfare narrative is over. As for editing, we already said that turning a 45 minute video into eight minutes requires editing. What remains is to determine whether Charalambos, the former Director of the President’s Office, and former Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis committed criminal offences.
Giorgos is already undergoing a new tax audit. Nikos Christodoulides is also under examination, as Sarkozy once was, to determine whether campaign financing laws were breached based on Lakkotrypis’ statements.
Crime, Captains and the Metropolitan of Limassol
It is true that the President is deeply concerned about the rise in crime in Cyprus, which is why he replaced Mr Hatzigiotis, assigning him another, supposedly serious, task.
On crime, the President is betting heavily on Captain Fytiris, who according to the Presidential Palace has nerves of steel and will crack down on corruption and crime, particularly in Larnaca and Limassol.
We remain cautious. Not because we doubt Mr Fytiris, but because everyone knows that many criminal elements in Cyprus are directly linked to parties and straight to the Presidential Palace.
As for Mr Hatzigiotis’ real duties, we are informed he has taken on the role of liaison between the presidential couple and the Metropolitan of Limassol, Athanasios. The goal is twofold. Athanasios will assist in Christodoulides’ re election in 2028, and Christodoulides will help Athanasios’ group consolidate power within the Synod, starting with the election of the new Metropolitan of Paphos.
Archbishop Georgios is understandably displeased, if not irritated, by the involvement of the presidential couple in Limassol’s ecclesiastical affairs.
Achievements and the Other 53 Percent
Listening to the President speak with grandeur about his achievements, one cannot help but recall the tragic 53 percent of Cypriots who, according to the RIK poll, cannot make ends meet.
Only 15 percent say they are very satisfied with their lives. It is true that since 2023, Nikos Christodoulides distributes the large pie to these few, while everyone else must settle for crumbs.
Who benefits? Certain businessmen who have turned stakes into gold. Some senior civil servants earning generously. And a segment of the urban elite whose already substantial incomes continue to rise. At the bottom of the food chain remain young people, young couples and pensioners.
Koumas, Savvidis and the Waiting Game
Giorgos Savvidis warned us shortly after Christmas that the Koumas case was weeks away from completion. His statement to Politis came well before investigator Lykourgou decided to speak publicly.
In any case, the Legal Service has filed criminal charges before the Nicosia District Court concerning incompatibility involving former CFA president Giorgos Koumas. The charge relates to television broadcasting rights during his presidency.
If convicted, the maximum penalty is three years. There are, of course, many other rumours circulating about Koumas, but we are obliged to comment only on what lies before us.
Maria Panayiotou and the Written Guarantee
Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou has been appointed as a philologist in secondary education and must respond by 20 February whether she accepts, with the appointment effective from 1 September 2026.
If she declines, which is likely, she loses the position and is removed from the lists, unless Nikos Christodoulides has other plans.
If the President intends to wait for the parliamentary election results and proceed with a reshuffle, we suggest Maria accepts the post. If she remains minister after May, she simply will not show up at the school in September. No harm done.
We advise her, however, to speak to the President now and not accept verbal assurances. She should demand written guarantees. Something along the lines of:
“I, the President of the Republic, commit not to reshuffle the Minister of Agriculture, Maria Panayiotou, until the end of the term. If I breach this commitment, I am an idiot and a half.”
Signed: Nikos Richelieu Christodoulides.