Disy leader says TCs will decide EU elections if GCs abstain

Disy leader Averof Neophytou said on Wednesday Turkish Cypriots would decide the outcome of the European parliamentary elections on Sunday, if Greek Cypriots abstain from voting.

“If Greek Cypriot voters do not participate in the elections and the abstention is high among Greek Cypriot voters, the weight of the Turkish Cypriot vote will increase. And, you know there is a reserve of about 81,000 votes,” he said.

Neophytou said he was concerned that the Turkish Cypriots could affect the voting results, if the Greek Cypriots fail to head to the polls.

The Disy leader’s comments come at a time the party has been scrutinised for one of their candidates, Eleni Stavrou-Syrou, suggesting Turkish Cypriot candidate for Akel, Niyazi Kizilyurek, is Ankara’s stooge.

The party’s actions sparked a backlash from moderate voters who disputed the party’s European and liberal credentials and even its will for reunification.

Stavrou-Syrou suggested that if Kizilyurek was elected he would not represent the “Republic of Cyprus’ Greeks but the ‘hapless’ community of the Turks of Cyprus.”

Disy leader Averof Neophytou has sought to distance himself from his MP’s comment, but has been heavily criticised for keeping her on the ticket nevertheless.

“I don’t think any Turkish Cypriot is Ankara’s stooge. I consider Turkish Cypriots our compatriots. It’s the breakaway state that is Ankara’s subordinate (administration),” he said.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.