The President of the Republic did not evade evasion during his interview with Sigma and on the show “No Spins” last night. Answering a question about the stance he will take in case he has to choose between Averof Neophytou and his recently close associate Nikos Christodoulidis in the next presidential elections, he was clear: “I will support my party's candidate”. write down. He admitted, however, that he is bothered by the fact that the consensus in DISY was not achieved in view of the presidential election of '23, while he confirmed the initiatives he has taken to resolve the difficulty that prevailed in the party. A few hours earlier, however, Nikos Anastasiadis accepted the resignation of another of his close associates, Vassilis Palmas. The Undersecretary of State, in addition to the President, announced his decision to resign from his post on February 2, while in his written statement he referred to his “impeccable, honest and close cooperation with the President”. Responding to the level of brevity and institutions, Nikos Anastasiadis expressed his regret for the departure of his colleague, while wishing him via the internet: “the best to my dear friend Vassilis Palmas”. Thus, in less than a month, the President of the Republic said goodbye to two close, perhaps his closest, associates: Nikos Christodoulidis and Vassilis Palmas.
A bolt from the blue;
Residents at the Presidential Palace were not caught red-handed by the deputy minister's resignation. Vassilis Palmas, one of the founders of DIPA, estimated that he should gradually keep pace and synchronize his political steps with the effort of the new group to become completely independent from the influences of the President. This process entered the rails with an axis of certain events which appeared pressing and for which mitigating decisions had to be made:
- The crisis in the relations of the President with DIPA for the attitude of the party in the case with the colleagues of the President.
- The resignation of Nikos Christodoulidis, something that burdened the climate not only for Mr. Palmas, but also for some others in the government. The frequent discussion about possible choices of executives from DIPA created, according to information from “P”, a gradual questioning of positions and intentions, which reached as far as the presidential office, putting some of its members in a difficult position. government.
- The Undersecretary sends the message to the leadership of DIPA that it will be at its disposal for any political moves made by the movement in the near future, mainly in relation to the options for the presidential elections.
AKEL and discussions
In the field of opposition, on the other hand, discussions and contacts continue with intensity in an attempt to gradually form both political positions and a smaller list of persons, who will be on the table for possible cooperation. Tomorrow, in AKEL, the baton will be taken over by the Central Committee of the party, which will try to fully codify the political framework, as it will be presented to it by the Politburo, which will meet today. It should be noted that the plenary of the JV will discuss for the first time the issue of presidential elections. All indications are that it will be particularly difficult to limit the debate to the policy framework in the run-up to the elections. Inevitably, and because the party itself has leaked a lot in relation to the contacts, mainly with DIKO, while the nomenclature was not avoided either, it is considered rather unlikely that members of the higher institution of AKEL do not ask for information about the first thoughts and contacts of leadership with the other opposition parties.
Equally at the table is Achilles
At AKEL, however, they continue to avoid any reference to the persons who are put in the grip of reflection and discussions. However, according to information from “P”, the concerns are intense and the thoughts are constantly changing. At the moment, the party is trying to codify the stance of DIKO, whose executives insist that they did not give names to AKEL except, perhaps, that of their president. In this fluid scenario, one of the names that are in the mind of AKEL, the lawyer Achilleas Dimitriadis, according to information from “P”, is in an open line of communication with DIKO, with consultations which are still ongoing. Both with the president of the party and with groups of his associates.
