Cyprus discusses possible candidates 16 months before elections — Cyprus Mail

In Cyprus, presidential elections are still 16 months away, but they have already become one of the main political topics. As Cyprus Mail writes, President Nikos Christodoulides has said that he will not decide whether to seek re-election until 2027. At the same time, the newspaper’s editorial board believes that preparations for his possible campaign are already under way.

The situation in DIKO and DISY

According to the Cyprus Mail editorial board, personnel appointments in the government may be aimed at strengthening Christodoulides’ position in the Democratic Party DIKO and the Democratic Rally DISY. During the latest personnel changes, DIKO representatives joined the government. The publication notes that several ministers from the party have already publicly declared its support for Christodoulides, although DIKO’s governing bodies have not yet made such a decision.

In DISY, the presidential candidate will be determined by a vote, as the party leader is no longer automatically the candidate. The editorial board names party leader Annita Demetriou as the favourite, and she may face competition from deputy leader Giorgos Pamboridis. Former DISY leader Averof Neophytou said that he may run as an independent candidate without the party’s support.

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Other possible candidates

AKEL has not yet made a decision on its candidate. Stelios Haji-Ioannou denied rumours of talks with the party about a possible nomination and said that he is not interested in entering politics or obtaining political office. AKEL’s candidate in the 2023 election, Andreas Mavroyiannis, said that he leads in all polls and will decide on his participation by the end of the year.

The editorial board also draws attention to the government’s social measures, including pension increases, the extension of eligibility for child benefits, and housing programmes for young families. In its assessment, inflation is a potential risk for the authorities: according to the cited data, it stands at 4.5% and may rise next year.