Charalambides says Diko will support Christodoulides in 2028

Nicosia, Cyprus. Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said on Wednesday that Diko will support President Nikos Christodoulides’ re-election campaign in 2028, despite party leader Nicholas Papadopoulos saying such support is not assured.

Government cooperation

Charalambides told Ant1 that “Diko has a president of the republic” and is not seeking another candidate. He described Christodoulides as a president who expanded Diko’s participation in government by appointing two additional ministers during last month’s cabinet reshuffle.

He said Diko’s support was not solely linked to its participation in government. According to Charalambides, the more significant factor was the election programme agreed with Christodoulides, which he described as a contract with the public and society.

Programme implementation

Charalambides said Diko ministers and other government ministers were working daily to implement the programme. He said its implementation had strengthened the Republic of Cyprus’ international standing in foreign policy.

On the economy, he said prudent fiscal policy had led to continuous economic upgrades, strong growth rates that he described as the highest in the European Union, and a reduction in public debt to below 50 per cent of gross domestic product.

Regarding healthcare, he said the government had allocated €200 million for upgrades to public hospitals.

Internal party discussion

Asked whether his position was compatible with Papadopoulos’ comments, Charalambides said the presidential elections were 18 months away and that it was not the time for such discussions.

He said he did not know to what extent Papadopoulos was considering other options, but confirmed that Diko members were discussing the matter internally, including at a meeting in Limassol in which he had participated.

“No issue has been raised by anyone about leaving the current government,” he said. He added that discussions within Diko concerned how to direct cooperation with Christodoulides to improve the implementation of their commitments.