The goal has been set for a long time in DIKO. The party must be in power at all costs in 2023. This is how it maintains its regulatory role, but only in this way is it strengthened both in the pyramid and at its base. The government will smooth over apparent rifts through ministerial appointments and appointments to the upper echelons, but will also open up passages of micropolitical services at the base. Wrong road leads to further shrinkage and can become catastrophic.
There is, however, another parameter, which had not entered the equation dynamically, but inbound offers the strongest bases to keep alive and to strengthen DIKO from the presidential elections. It is the choice that will not break the base, but will unite it.
So, when asked who DIKO will support, another question arises: Can DIKO support and promote the candidacy of Nikola Papadopoulos to the other parties?
This possibility is also being investigated by the party, Mr. Papadopoulos, who unexpectedly found himself counting the forces for the presidential race, since the first thoughts were to support another candidate through cooperation with one or some parties on the right, left or in between.
Favorable circumstances
Nikolas Papadopoulos, although he had never publicly excluded himself as a candidate, knew that the chances of such a thing becoming possible were slim. Firstly, because he dared to fail in the previous presidential elections and secondly, because his party's percentages in the parliamentary elections did not allow high demands or claims.
Nevertheless, the conditions favored him, as the two major parties are in a state of waiting, but also of great uncertainty, leaving the field free to move strategically, setting himself as the alternative. On the one hand, AKEL is having a hard time finding a candidate, while DISY is dominated by the battle for supremacy between Averof Neophytou and Nikos Christodoulidis.
It is difficult with DISY
Since the first investigations of DIKO start with a proposal for the candidacy of its own president, things become difficult at this stage to find a candidate with DISY, and this is because the party has not only one, but two candidates from which it will choose, so third in two does not fit.
Moreover, and more seriously, DIKO, at least at this stage, finds it unimaginably difficult to convince the base, but also the society, that after seven years of strong opposition to the Anastasiadis government, it will suddenly find itself co-ruling with DISY and even after a fierce opposition to the parliamentary elections that went as far as voting against the state budget.
He has tried to maintain a conveniently neutral stance on several of society's issues, but the task becomes difficult as time goes on as it does not help the government to keep its tone low either, as it constantly gives rise to criticism and opposition criticism.
After the Pandora Papers and especially the inclusion of the name of the President of the Republic in the resolution of the European Parliament, it is obvious that DIKO left the mild stance and joined the opposition camp, with shots and criticism, but which does not reach the requirement for the resignation of the President of the Republic, although lately this choice of stance has been relatively convincingly answered, with the president of DIKO himself noting that even if the party asked for resignation, it would not achieve anything, against a President who does not listen nothing and no one and who has exposed Cyprus not only domestically but also internationally.
He does not overlook the party and the fact that at its base there is a significant portion that has been convinced by the positions of DIKO itself all these years, that the Right is corrupt and does not want to hear talk of cooperation with DISY.
Looking for the middleman
Nikolas Papadopoulos has a chance of being elected in case he passes to the second round and receives the support of one of the two major parties. This means that the president of DIKO will have to search well to find the remnants of the intermediate space. What is left of the now extra-parliamentary parties, the Citizens' Alliance and the Solidarity Movement, and what is left of the EDEK, with which it had begun to build a common course before its internal party adventure? We remind you of the coexistence of the two parties until the end in the vote for the election of Speaker of Parliament supporting Nikola Papadopoulos.
The intermediate course is therefore extremely difficult and involves a very high risk if you remove DIPA from the equation and the president of DIKO fully understands it, which is why he now makes clear openings to DIPA, or rather to a part of DIPA, of from the Cooperation of Democratic Forces.
Opening in DIPA
“We do not rule out cooperation with anyone other than ELAM”, said Nikolas Papadopoulos last Wednesday on the Control Panel show of POLITI 107.6, while when asked if DIPA is included, he answered in the affirmative.
Asked whether the door of DIKO is closed for those who chose to govern with DIPA, but may have regretted it, he said that DIKO is pursuing an enlargement policy and anyone wishing to join or rejoin is welcome, given that he agrees with the party's basic positions. thus opening up the prospect of executive return.
The opening to DIPA is not accidental now. Nikolas Papadopoulos needs, if not his own members back at DIKO, certainly their voters.
The relations with Mario Karoyan and his close associates are of course very bad, but the relations with the people from the Democratic Forces are better, who are not particularly satisfied with the reception given to them by their competitors in DIPA, as they are constantly degrading, telling them that they came and found the party ready, which they built with effort and toil. However, the main disappointment of the members of the Democratic Forces is the behavior of Mario Karoyan towards Angelos Votsis and the non-fulfillment of his pre-election commitment to cede the seat of Limassol. Now, the members of the Democratic Forces of DIPA bring out this bitterness with their public statements in the media, with statements such as “Angelos Votsis is necessary in the parliamentary seats and we expect to see him again in Parliament.” The statement is by MP Marinos Mousioutas weeks ago in POLITIS 107.6.
Impacts in AKEL as well
The chances of AKEL and DIKO reaching an agreement with candidate Nikolas Papadopoulos are less. The AKEL base is not going to accept it easily, while similarly there is a tendency in DIKO that does not want to coexist with the Left.
Knowing the difficulties, the AKEL sightings will be done, but keeping a small basket and exploring other possible scenarios.
DIKO, however, is deeply concerned about the difficulty of finding a candidate from AKEL and is one of the main reasons that investigates the possibilities for Nikola's candidacy.
However, the candidacy of Nikola Papadopoulos would be a way of restraining the power of DIKO, possibly strengthening it, since in this way there will be no escaping votes of disappointed voters who did not want to cooperate with either the Left or the Right.
Of course, the main goal does not change and it is the one with which this text started. That is, DIKO must be in power at all costs. The claim of the presidency by Nikolas Papadopoulos is therefore second in order of priority, therefore the shooting will be done, however if there is no open field that gives serious prospects the possibilities of supporting other candidates through collaborations will be examined.
