May will be a month of decisions on the presidential elections, with announcements on two fronts that are of particular interest in the pre-election scene. Apart from the expected announcement of the candidacy of Nikos Christodoulides, developments should be expected on the part of the major opposition party.
As for the former foreign minister, information has it that he is in the final stretch of announcing his decision to run for the presidency of the Republic. According to the same information, Christodoulides' announcements are scheduled for the first ten days of May. The exact date, the place and the way the former foreign minister will choose to make the announcements remain unknown. Christodoulides' announcement that he will be a candidate will pave the way for official contacts with parties and organised groups. Of course, interest is focused on the DIKO side, within which there is a tendency to support the former Foreign Minister, despite the reservations raised by several cadres. Nicolas Papadopoulos and Nicos Christodoulides have been in contact but everything will be put on the table only after Christodoulides' announcements and the announcement of the political framework within which he will move.
Delay in AKEL
The wreckage in the dialogue with DIKO leads AKEL to at least one more round of contacts with opposition parties and then a discussion with party members, which leads to thoughts of postponing final decisions by a few days. The extraordinary conference that will lock the name of the candidate that AKEL will support is set for Sunday 15 May but all indications are that it will be postponed by one or two weeks. Achilleas Demetriades, Andreas Mavroyiannis, Stelios Platis are the names preferred among others by the AKEL leadership, which will avoid making the decision without having the pulse of the party base. AKEL officials who spoke to the Cyprus Times identify pros and cons to each candidate, but what is required for the party leadership is to come up with a choice that will rally AKEL voters and have a foothold in other areas, in order to pass without adventures in the second round.
Waiting in DISY
In the ruling party, they are already on the election trail and the focus is on organisational work, which, according to Pindarou executives, will make the difference and turn around the demographic picture so far. The Democratic Rally is following the developments in the camps of AKEL and Nikos Christodoulides in order to formulate its election plan accordingly. Immediately after the announcement of Christodoulides' candidacy, Pindarou is expected to launch a campaign to deconstruct him, something it has so far avoided in anticipation of his final decisions. As soon as he announces that he will be a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, the Democratic Rally will launch a frontal attack against him, which will certainly culminate if and when he is supported by DIKO, whose decisions should be expected around the end of May or early June.
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