Averof Neofytou is expected to announce his candidacy for the 2028 presidential election, following developments on the Cyprus issue and the recent diplomatic contacts in New York.
According to the front page of the newspaper Alithia, the former DISY president is expected to announce today his decision to run for President of the Republic in the 2028 election.
The development comes just days after public statements by Neofytou, who had directly linked decisions about his political future to developments on the Cyprus issue and the outcome of the meetings in New York.
The condition he had set
Speaking on OMEGA’s Aichmes programme on September 23, Neofytou said that if there was no movement on the Cyprus issue following the weekend, he would run in the presidential election.
More specifically, he said that if the situation remained at an impasse and “not a leaf moved,” then “Averof will be a candidate.”
Conversely, he said that if there were developments, political forces should support efforts to restart the process aimed at resolving the Cyprus issue.
A day later, Neofytou returned to the subject, stating categorically, “I will be a candidate” if the deadlock continued.
Despite repeated questions, he did not clarify whether a potential candidacy would necessarily go through DISY’s internal party procedures.
The question for DISY
Attention is now also turning to developments within the Democratic Rally (DISY), as the process for selecting the party’s candidate for the 2028 election remains open.
Party officials have already publicly addressed the issue.
Charalambos Stavridis, head of DISY’s Cyprus Problem Office, said he considered it self-evident that any intention by Neofytou to seek the presidency should go through the party’s established procedures.
Similarly, DISY parliamentary spokesperson Dimitris Dimitriou has said that the party will follow its statute regarding the selection of its presidential candidate.
The next steps
Whether Neofytou’s expected announcement will include clarification on how his candidacy relates to DISY’s internal procedures has now emerged as a key political question.
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