Democratic Rally party sets new dates for presidential nomination process

The Democratic Rally (DISY) in Cyprus has officially entered its internal election cycle to select a candidate for the 2028 presidential elections. Following a lengthy session of the Political Bureau, the party decided to extend its original timeline by two weeks, moving the candidate nomination deadline from October 13 to October 26. Consequently, the internal party elections have been rescheduled from November 14 to November 28.

Party leader Annita Demetriou has confirmed her candidacy and is beginning the process of collecting the required 500 signatures, including 100 from members of the Supreme Council. While Giorgos Pamboridis is expected to announce his bid soon, the intentions of Averof Neofytou remain unclear, creating significant uncertainty within the party. Demetriou emphasized that the final decision rests with the thousands of party members rather than the leadership, aiming to modernize internal democratic procedures.

Proposals to delay the entire process until the end of the year were rejected by the majority, as members argued this would provide an unfair advantage to other potential presidential contenders. The party intends to follow its constitutional processes strictly to formulate its future political platform.