Nicosia, Cyprus. Alma leader Odysseas Michaelides said on Thursday that he would not support Diko leader Nikolas Papadopoulos for House president, while raising the possibility of an alternative coalition involving Akel, Elam and MP Irene Charalambides.
Opposition preference
Speaking to Ant1, Michaelides said Alma could not support Papadopoulos because he leads a party participating in the government, repeating that his movement prefers a candidate from the opposition. He also rejected the prospect of backing Disy leader and outgoing House president Annita Demetriou, whose candidacy is expected to be formally confirmed by her party.
Talks with Akel and Elam
Michaelides said he had already met Papadopoulos and was due to meet Akel secretary-general Stefanos Stefanou later on Thursday. He is also expected to hold talks with Elam to see whether a consensus candidate could emerge.
Possible candidate from Alma
According to Michaelides, one option he plans to discuss is support for a figure from Alma who could potentially win backing from both Akel and Elam. He said MP Irene Charalambides, who recently left Akel and joined Alma, could be such a candidate, while noting that he did not know whether her name would be acceptable to Akel.
“I would like to at the very least hear their position,” he said.
Abstention not ruled out
Michaelides added that Alma had not ruled out abstaining if none of the eventual candidates reflected its political priorities. He also appeared open to supporting a possible candidacy by Stefanou if Akel decided to enter the race.
