Leaders tight-lipped after power lunch
PUNDITS WERE left scratching their heads yesterday when both President Papadopoulos and communist leader Demetris Christofias kept their mouths hermetically sealed about what went on during their meeting.
“I won’t say anything,” said Christofias, as news crews swarmed around him.
The big question on everyone’s mind was if Papadopoulos had finally told Christofias whether and when he would be announcing his candidacy for next February’s presidential elections.
“I think you should corner the President and ask him these questions,” a chuckling Christofias said, as he tried to dodge reporters.
The communist chief would not even say whether the elections were discussed during the 90-minute powwow with Papadopoulos.
All he would say is that they talked about “affairs of state,” exchanged views about a whole gamut of issues, and that more meetings would follow.
And he refused point blank to be drawn into election speculation, remarking: “Newspapers write about things galore.”
According to media speculation, Christofias was set to show Papadopoulos the results of the votes by AKEL local branches, where it is said that a staggering 85 per cent or more AKEL members support Christofias for the top job.
The reason, ostensibly, Christofias would share this data would be to show Papadopoulos that, if he did run for the presidency, it would be because of this groundswell.
In early July, the communists will hold a Pancyprian congress, where some 14,000 members are to choose Christofias or Papadopoulos as their candidate. The outcome of the congress vote is, in theory, not binding on the AKEL leadership.
A Christofias standalone nomination would surely necessitate a runoff in the presidential elections.
By contrast, only a candidate backed by AKEL, DIKO and EDEK can get more than 50 per cent of the vote in the first round.
Papadopoulos, 73, already has the unconditional support of his own party DIKO and of socialists EDEK. The incumbent has not yet officially announced his candidacy, but it is generally agreed that it is a question of “when” not “if.”
For his part, EDEK chief Yiannakis Omirou wished that yesterday’s meeting between the two men would be “positive and constructive… that it might forge the three-way alliance.”
The socialist leader was asked how that was possible, since either Papadopoulos or Christofias would have to pull out of the race.
Omirou preferred to evade the question.
On Tuesday, Christofias threw the bait at Papadopoulos, saying that AKEL would never support a DISY candidate if the latter made it to the second round. The implication was that Papadopoulos and his party DIKO should reciprocate.
In other words, if AKEL did not make it to the runoff, they would back Papadopoulos, and vice versa.
Papadopoulos has not commented on this.
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