When the ruling centre-right Democratic Party (Diko) elected Marios Karoyian as its third and youngest leader on Sunday with the support of the old guard who set up the party three decades ago, a clear message for change was sent out in all directions — modernise the movement in time for the next presidential elections in February 2008.
The extraordinary conference was called after President Tassos Papadopoulos stepped down as party chief in August forcing deputy leader Nicos Cleanthous to challenge the seat as well.
But only half of the party’s 14,000 members showed up to vote for their new leader which suggests a note of apathy among the party rank-and-file.
The 45-year-old Armenian Cypriot who rose up the ranks of the party founded by the late Spyros Kyprianou, won by a surprisingly wide margin of 63% over Cleanthous who took the remaining 37%.
This was probably the start of a wind of change that wanted old-school politicians replaced by dynamic young leaders.
The result shocked Cleanthous, who had deputised Papadopoulos ever since the latter was elected president three years ago.
This could also explain the party faithful’s disappointment in a leader who barely made it to the House in the parliamentary election in May despite the party gaining new voters and new seats.
Karoyian, on the other hand, was elected to parliament as the most popular of all the party’s candidates. He has since called for unity and paid tribute to the legacy of Spyros Kyprianou and Tassos Papadopoulos. “We will implement the political line of the coalition and move forward united, through a modernised Democratic Party,” he said.
Standing beside the new party leader was the founder’s son and European Commissioner Markos Kyprianou together with his brother, Achilleas, both members of the Diko executive council, while other newcomers were clearly absent from the main panel.
Markos also threw his support behind the young leader and declared that “times have changed from the days of individual leaders and we are entering a new age of good managers and a need for collectiveness.”
This could also suggest the start of a rift within the party that has long wanted to abandon the three-way coalition with the powerful communist Akel and the diminishing socialist Edek and opt for a coalition of equals with Akel.
Kyprianou is now weighing his options as he is being touted as the coalition candidate for the next presidential elections where the party would have to decide between the young Commissioner or incumbent president Papadopoulos.
Whatever the outcome, Karoyian’s leadership will be tested at the next party congress in 2009, a year after the presidential elections that will also be determined from the successful or not adoption of the euro on January 1, 2008. He will have his hands full until then.
