The festive period in December is ideal for social gatherings, which the candidates and the parties will make the most of, in a less political environment, far from controversy and a climate of acrimony.
The staffs of the three main presidential contenders are intensely mobilised to plan and implement the strategy for the last mile of the electoral effort, which is mainly focused on the organisational part, because that is where their potential will be tested.
Double targeting Averoff
In DISY they want to exhaust the remaining time by claiming the last vote. Increasing the rally remains the biggest challenge because it will decide the outcome of the attempt to qualify for the second round. Reducing the losses to Nikos Christodoulides and at the same time attracting voters who have distanced themselves is ranked as the top priority in order for the President's candidacy to gather the electoral percentage that will give it momentum ahead of the second round. In Pindarou they believe they are close to achieving the goal, with Averof Neophytou himself stating unequivocally that he will be in the second round. The promotion of the work of the ten-year Anastasiades government and the emergence of Averof Neophytou as the continuator of the effort and as the guarantor of economic stability remains the dominant narrative of the ruling party, in which they recognise that identification with the government has a cost. Nikos Christodoulides and in particular his efforts to form a broadly acceptable government are in the crosshairs of Averof Neophytou's staff. DISY seeks to deconstruct Christodoulides' proposal in order to erode the former Foreign Minister's versatility, which remains his comparative advantage over all his rivals. This is the purpose of the maintenance of the Grivas issue. Lately, the DISY President's staff has also been increasing its arrows towards Andreas Mavroyiannis and AKEL in order to limit his foothold in the centre-right.
Mavroyiannis's bet
Mavroyiannis's staff stress that the big challenge is none other than increasing influence in areas beyond AKEL, and this is because the rallying of the left-wing party's voters will obviously hit a ceiling at some point. Lately, Mavroyiannis' staff has been putting forward faces from the wider civil society and centre-right, an effort which will continue. On the former negotiator's front is the narrative that he is the only candidate who can become the agent of change, unlike the other two main contenders for the presidency, Neophytou and Christodoulides, while at a later stage the element of the lost vote will be emphasized, with a clear targeting of left-wing voters who remain distanced or choose Achilleas Demetriades. Recently, Andreas Mavroyiannis' staff and AKEL are beginning to speak with more confidence about qualifying for the second round, citing the findings of opinion polls and the improvement in the candidate's public appearances.
Christodoulides' trump card
Associates of Nikos Christodoulides estimate that attacks from DISY and AKEL will intensify in the coming period, with the aim of exerting pressure to repatriate their voters. The staff of Nikos Christodoulides is of the opinion that the proposal to form a government of national unity or broad acceptance rallies a large majority of people around the candidate, which is why an attempt is being made to deconstruct it by his two main rivals, Averof Neophytou and Andreas Mavroyiannis. Low tones away from controversy, presenting positions on the problems that concern citizens and constant contact with the people, remains the triptych of Nicos Christodoulides' electoral course, which is assessed as successful and will not change. In the coming period more intensive promotion of Nicos Christodoulides' partners will begin in order to give a broader picture of his team, especially on a number of important issues, such as the economy. Preserving Nikos Christodoulides' foothold in DISY, as well as in other party spaces, remains a priority for his staff, with him in contact with party officials and personalities from the right-wing and more broadly. The distinction in most of the qualitative indicators, the first place in the voting intention and the maintenance of the victory performance, cause satisfaction to Christodoulides' staff because they constitute signs of consolidation of trends in the electorate, especially if they are confirmed in the polls that will see the light of day just before the final straight.
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