The political landscape in Cyprus is witnessing a dynamic shift as party leaders from the three major parties, DISY, AKEL, and DIKO, grapple with indecision, internal divisions, and intricate negotiations.
In contrast, the Democratic Alignment (DIPA), led by Marios Karoyian, is emerging as a pivotal player in the upcoming local elections.
As a result of the evolving political scene, the DIPA is now vying for the second most populous municipality in Cyprus with its own candidate.
Simultaneously, the party has been offered the possibility of contesting the mayoralty in the capital city.
DISY appears poised to support a candidate from DIPA in Strovolos, but remains uncertain about its strategy for other major municipalities in Cyprus.
On the other hand, AKEL is currently in a holding pattern, closely monitoring developments within DIKO and waiting to see how the party leadership handles the situations in Strovolos and Limassol.
At DIKO it seems that presidential interventions on one hand and the leadership’s indecisiveness on the other are causing delays and discontent.
While initial indications suggested a leaning towards cooperation with the DISY, complications have arisen in the case of Strovolos, Limassol, and Paphos.
For DIPA, its intentions seem more transparent regarding cooperation with DISY.
The party appears to be on the brink of forming a broad alliance with DISY for the local elections, securing support for its own candidate in Strovolos, as well as positions in certain deputy mayor roles. As part of these negotiations, Christos Tsingis has emerged as a potential candidate for the Strovolos mayoralty, with prospects for collaboration with EDEK as well.
Some circles view Tsingis’ positive relationships with the Ecologists and ELAM as an advantage.
Last week, AKEL attempted to intervene by proposing the name of Marinos Cleanthous, one of the Deputy Presidents of the DIPA, for the mayoralty of Nicosia.
However, this proposition was ultimately rejected due to the prospect of collaboration with DISY and the selection of Christos Tsingis for Strovolos.
The AKEL party, meanwhile, appears to have a contingency plan for Strovolos, even in the absence of an agreement.
They have a strong candidate with significant ties to the local community, bolstered by expectations of fragmentation within the electorate. If the scenario of a DISY-DIPA partnership with Christos Tsingis as the candidate becomes a reality, it is expected that DIKO will pursue a different candidate.
If that candidate happens to be the incumbent Mayor, Andreas Papacharalambous, who reportedly still enjoys presidential backing, then the door to cooperation with AKEL in Strovolos will likely close.
