Disy has marked 95 years since the October uprising of 1931, describing the revolt as “a significant milestone in Cyprus’ anti-colonial struggle”.

The party said Cypriots should honour those who “stood tall against colonialism” while demanding freedom and self-determination.

It said historical memory “set a duty to continue the struggle for a free, reunified Cyprus, free of occupying forces and anachronistic guarantees”.

The uprising, known in Greek as ‘Oktovriana’, began on October 21, 1931, and lasted until early November.

The revolt was led by Greek Cypriots who sought Enosis (union) with Greece and is regarded as the most intense rebellion Britain faced between the two world wars.

On the opening day some 5,000 Cypriots, mostly students, priests and city notables, rallied in Nicosia chanting pro-Enosis slogans.

The crowd besieged the old government house, which was subsequently set on fire.

In September, governor Ronald Storrs blocked a legislative council decision to halt tax rises meant to cover a budget deficit, and Greek Cypriot members resigned.

On October 18, bishop Nikodemos of Kition urged civil disobedience until demands for Enosis were met.

The grievances went back further, as Greek Cypriots objected to an education act aimed at curbing Greek influence in schools and to a new penal code that permitted torture.

A memorandum seeking Enosis, presented in London in 1929 to colonial secretary Lord Passfield, was rejected.

Britain responded with force, sending 150 troops flown in from Cairo, and warships including the cruisers Shropshire and London arrived at Limassol, with a destroyer sent to Paphos.

Seven protesters were killed, ten were exiled for life and more than 2,600 received punishments ranging from prison terms to fines for sedition.

British authorities accused Alexis Kyrou, the Greek consul general in Nicosia, of instigating the revolt; he was dismissed, and Storrs was transferred to Northern Rhodesia.

The colonial administration then abolished the legislative council and municipal elections, and gave the governor power to appoint mukhtars and district judges.

Promoting Enosis and flying the Greek flag was banned, as was any assembly of more than five people.

Censorship hit newspapers, particularly left-wing titles, with the period of draconian rule that followed becoming known as ‘Palmerocracy,’ after governor Richmond Palmer, and lasted until World War II.

Averof Neophytou, who has turned Disy upside down in the pursuit of his presidential ambition, announced on Wednesday that he would stand in Monday’s election for the party candidacy. This was not the original plan of the former party leader, who, a couple of weeks earlier, said he would not take part in the party selection process and instead stand as a candidate.

If Neophytou carried out his threat, he would have split the Disy vote and ensured that neither he nor the party’s presidential candidate would advance to the second Sunday run-off. Faced with this prospect, party leader Annita Demetriou, who had announced her plan to stand and set a date for the vote, decided to withdraw, for the sake of safeguarding party unity. She had also come under pressure from a small but influential group not to stand.

With Demetriou out of the way, Neophytou decided to play by the party rules. He will not follow the example set by Nicos Christodoulides in 2022 as he had threatened to do a few weeks ago, forcing Demetriou into the rash decision of setting a date for the party elections. This was a big mistake, although Demetriou calculated it was the best way to sideline Neophytou, especially if he snubbed the party election.

Neophytou is now favourite to defeat Pamborides and win the title of Disy presidential candidate, but this will not be the end of the party’s problems. It was given an idea of what to expect last week when Neophytou publicly urged President Nikos Christodoulides to call for an end to EU sanctions on Russia so that the supply of petrol on the world market would increase and the price of fuel would come down.

It was crude populism, as Neophytou is smart enough to know this would never happen, but it undermined the party which, as a member of the European People’s Party, is fully aligned with the sanctions policy of the EU. This was the reason it felt obliged to issue an announcement to clarify that it supported EU sanctions on Russia. Without wanting to, the party sided with the president against the man who could be its presidential candidate.

Disy is now staring at the embarrassing prospect of its presidential candidate, assuming Neophytou wins on Monday, promoting policies that the party disagrees with. Presumably, the man who will be candidate will confer with the party leadership about his campaign programme. This is the problem of having a presidential candidate who is not the party leader. Who would follow who?

There is still a very long way to go until the presidential elections and there could still be some surprises down the road. What would Neophytou do if, against all odds, he is defeated by Pamborides on Monday?

Disy president Annita Demetriou has left open the possibility of supporting President Nikos Christodoulides in the second round of the presidential election should the Disy candidate fail to qualify.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Demetriou said it was her priority, as well as that of other party figures, that “left-wing policies do not come to power”.

Disy deputy chairman Efthymios Diplaros and former parliamentary representative Nikos Tornaritis have previously expressed the same position.

She was responding to a proposal by former president Nicos Anastasiades for a preliminary agreement between Christodoulides and Disy.

Under it, whichever side is eliminated in the first round would commit to backing the other against the candidate supported by Akel.

Demetriou said she understood the concern of Anastasiades and party officials, which she described as “preventing the left from taking power”.

She however expressed confidence that the party’s candidate would convince voters and reach the second round, and urged members to “convince the public of our own proposals”.

Demetriou also referred to her decision to withdraw her candidacy for the Disy nomination.

She said party supporters now felt relieved, but cautioned that “unity is not ensured from one day to the next”.

On the arrangement between Averof Neophytou and Giorgos Pamborides, she said both men had committed to supporting whoever secures the party’s nomination.

Former Disy leader Averof Neophytou announced on Wednesday that he will ask party members for a vote of confidence to run for the presidency in 2028.

He made the announcement in a video filmed against the unfinished energy project at Vasiliko.

He said he wanted to offer a “new social contract” with the public and a change in the way the country is governed.

“I announce today my decision to ask my fellow members of Disy for their vote of confidence for the 2028 presidential elections,” he said.

Neophytou opened with the cost of living, commenting that people “work hard but struggle to meet their financial obligations”, with high prices and the cost of electricity and fuel weighing on households and businesses.

“Young people find it hard to pay rent, and owning a home has become an unattainable dream,” he said.

On the Cyprus problem, he warned that prolonged stalemate carries new risks.

“Cyprus cannot remain and will not remain divided,” he said.

He argued that a change of course is needed, with leadership that “takes decisions and delivers results”.

“I want to offer my knowledge and experience so that we can tackle these challenges. Without counting the political cost, but guided by the interest of society,” he said.

Neophytou referred to his years in Disy and the struggles he had shared with its officials and supporters.

He said the party had played a decisive role in the country’s course in difficult periods, and that he had experienced successes and disappointments alongside its members.

He described his decision as driven by “responsibility towards the party and, above all, towards Cyprus and its people”.

He said this would guide efforts to unite Disy and regain public trust.

He spoke of a strong economy, a modern state that serves the public and a free and secure homeland.

“Let us give hope and prospects back to our young people. This is my own responsibility,” he concluded.

Disy leader Annita Demetriou lambasted the government on Wednesday, saying its proposed budget did not rise to the challenges of the day and contained “inelastic spending, horizontal rises and untargeted measures”.

Speaking at a press conference, Demetriou said the government’s fourth budget “lacks a development and reform vision” and was more about managing problems than planning for the future.

Today, problems that must be addressed are inflation and the high cost of living, compared to unemployment, public debt and economic instability in the past, she said.

Inflation and the high cost of living, she pointed out, will persist, despite positive economic indicators.

A positive growth rate, Demetriou explained, could not address the cost of housing and starting a family.

Through its budget, the government supported high earners rather than those on low incomes, Demetriou said.

Demetriou presented her party’s priorities, including the need for more investments in the digitisation of the state and the digital economy to increase productivity, the downsizing of the civil service, improved services for individuals and businesses, and pushing the cost of bureaucracy downwards.

She said more investments were needed in research and innovation, development projects and infrastructure, to improve the quality of life and reduce the cost of living.

“Instead of expediting major projects and infrastructure, we are cancelling them or they are being carried out slowly. Accelerating development projects would lead to an increase in jobs and incomes, would strengthen the competitiveness of the economy in the medium term,” Demetriou said.

Other projects left behind are addressing traffic congestion and local authority development works, she added.

Demetriou also spoke of the need for “a real pension reform” that would improve pensions while securing the viability of the social insurance fund.

Disy, she said, also encouraged investments to reduce the cost of energy for individuals and businesses, particularly with photovoltaics and energy storage systems.

Other Disy priorities include withdrawing old vehicles, expanding intercity bus routes, encouraging remote work, further tax relief, the implementation of the all-day schools, improvements to the childcare plan, better child, student, single-parent and disability benefits, and measures to address the housing crisis.

Demetriou also called for measures to support the farming sector which is still reeling from increased production costs, rationed irrigation water and the foot and mouth outbreak.

“We are not asking for a continuous increase in spending […] We are asking for the better distribution of spending,” Demetriou said.

She explained that Disy did not disagree with the essence of the budget, but with the prioritisation of spending.

Disy vice-president Yiannis Karousos on Tuesday rejected a proposal by former president Nicos Anastasiades for a preliminary agreement between the party and President Nikos Christodoulides, calling it a “message of defeatism”.

Anastasiades told an ANT1 podcast that Disy and Christodoulides should agree now that whichever fails to reach the 2028 presidential run-off will back the other against an Akel-backed candidate.

Speaking on Alpha TV, Karousos said such a notion “should not even be discussed”, arguing that such messages amounted to “conceding defeat in advance”.

Karousos declined to disclose his own preference, in order to “maintain party unity”.

He said the leadership’s task was to ensure everyone backed the grassroots choice, and that anyone who did not support the eventual candidate should leave.

“The door of Disy is there and they can get out,” he remarked.

Disy will decide on Novemeber 28 whether former party leader Averof Neophytou or MP George Pamporidis will be its presidential candidate.

Former president Nicos Anastasiades has urged Disy and President Nikos Christodoulides to agree that whichever fails to reach the second round of the 2028 presidential election will back the other against an Akel supported candidate.

Speaking on ANT1’s podcast, which will be broadcast in full on Wednesday, Anastasiades said Disy should first have discussed possible collaboration with other parties and only then begun its internal process to choose a candidate.

He said he would stand by whatever candidate the party selects.

“I have not betrayed and will not betray the party,” he said, dismissing criticism from those who, he said, pose as more loyal to Pindarou than he is.

Anastasiades described the withdrawal of party leader Annita Demetriou from the race for the nomination as correct.

He urged the two remaining contenders to avoid a rift, saying they were rivals for the nomination now but must return as allies the day after.

He confirmed he had spoken with George Pamboridis and said a meeting with Averof Neophytou was being arranged.

He condemned leaks of internal party meetings as “blows below the belt”, and without naming Neophytou, said “anyone who lost an election could not blame others for their own mistakes”.

On Christodoulides, Anastasiades said that though he agreed with the government’s economic, social and foreign policy, he criticised delays in announcing infrastructure projects.

Anastasiades said there were complaints that Christodoulides “ignores associates and ministers”, believing he has the final word on certain issues.

“This is wrong and I believe that it is one of the problems that Nikos Christodoulides will have to face,” he said.

He also described the appointment of Nikos Tornaritis as adviser on the Cyprus problem, responsible for Africa and Asia, as “wrong and an unnecessary provocation” of Disy.

Demetriou announced earlier this month that she was quitting the race for the nomination, saying she wanted to preserve unity.

Claims circulated that she had been blackmailed into stepping aside after a meeting with Neophytou and Alithia publisher Frixos Koulermos. Demetriou rejected them as “slanderous”, while Koulermos likewise denied pressuring her.

Neophytou, a former party leader, and Pamboridis, a former health minister, are now competing for the nomination. Candidates need signatures from at least 500 party members, including 100 from the supreme council, before a ballot of all members in November.

Pamboridis has said Disy should pursue a “natural alliance” with Diko and warned the party could again miss the run-off.

Such fear stems from 2023, when Neophytou finished third in the first round, beaten by Christodoulides and Akel backed Andreas Mavroyiannis, with Disy missing a presidential run-off for the first time.

Christodoulides himself is a former Disy member who served as government spokesman and later foreign minister under Anastasiades.

He won the second round with about 52 per cent of the vote against Mavroyiannis, with Anastasiades backing him.

After the first round, Disy allowed members a conscience vote in the second round, and Diko leader Nicolas Papadopoulos said Anastasiades had congratulated his party for its effective support of Christodoulides.

Anastasiades denied rumours he had backed Christodoulides in the first round in 2023, but said he had chosen him in the second.

When approached by the Cyprus Mail for comment, Disy declined to issue a statement until the podcast is broadcast in full.