Democratic Rally
The Democratic Rally is a Christian democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Cyprus led by Annita Demetriou. The party was founded on 4 July 1976 by veteran politician Glafcos Clerides. Two leaders of the party have served as presidents of Cyprus, Clerides from 1993 until 2003 and Nicos Anastasiades from 2013 to 2023.
From 11 March 2023, the leader of the party is Annita Demetriou, who also serves as the president of the House of Representatives since June 2021.
Background
DISY serves a widely diverse spectrum of voters, ranging from hard-line Greek Cypriot nationalists and anti-communists to humanist liberals with post-materialist and post-modern values who advocate human rights. DISY's platform focuses on free enterprise economic policies, lower direct taxes and higher indirect taxes, economic development, opposing government deficits, investments in infrastructure, and a practical solution to the Cyprus dispute. It is the most explicitly Atlanticist and pro-NATO of Cyprus's parties, and draws its support from middle-class professionals, businessmen, and white-collar employees.History
Origins
The Democratic Rally emerged from the split of the right-wing "Eniaion" into two opposing parties. Following the Turkish invasion and the 1974 coup d'état, internal conflicts within Eniaion led to the creation of DISY, led by Glafkos Clerides, and DIKO, led by Spyros Kyprianou. The newly established DISY was a pro-Western and anti-communist party, that brought together the moderate centre-right and former EOKA B sympathisers, both of whom opposed the return of Archbishop Makarios to the presidency. Founded in 1976, DISY's logo is the Nike of Paionios.1976–1981: Defeat by the Democratic Powers alliance
In the 1976 legislative election, the newly-established Democratic Rally formed an alliance with the far-right Democratic National Party to oppose the ruling president, Makarios III. This coalition ran against the governing parties, which had united under the alliance named "Democratic Powers" in support of the president.The Democratic Powers alliance, composed of DIKO, AKEL, and EDEK, won 34 out of the 35 seats. The independent candidate, Tassos Papadopoulos, secured the remaining seat. The DISY-DEK alliance failed to win any seats, leaving them without representation in the parliament.
1981–1993: Electoral breakthrough
Five years after its electoral defeat, in the 1981 legislative election, DISY secured 12 seats in the House of Representatives, establishing itself as the official opposition to Spyros Kyprianou's government. The party received 31.8% of the popular vote, winning the same number of seats as AKEL, which garnered 32.7% and finished first. This election marked the first time that former EOKA fighters entered the Cypriot parliament.The Democratic Rally participated in presidential elections for the first time in 1983, supporting its president and founder, Glafcos Clerides. Clerides faced the incumbent president, Spyros Kyprianou, and the leader of EDEK, Vassos Lyssarides. Kyprianou was supported by the alliance of DIKO and AKEL. Clerides finished second with 33.9% of the vote and lost in the first round, with Kyprianou securing victory with 56.4% of the vote.
The electoral power of the Democratic Rally continued to grow, and in the 1985 legislative election, it finished first, securing 19 out of the 52 seats. In the 1988 presidential election, Glafcos Clerides led in the first round with 33.3% of the votes but narrowly lost in the second round to independent candidate George Vassiliou, who was supported by AKEL. In the 1991 legislative election, the party finished first again and gained one more seat, bringing their total to 20 seats in the House of Representatives.
1993–2003: Clerides Presidency of Cyprus
In the second round of the 1993 presidential election, Glafcos Clerides narrowly defeated the incumbent president, George Vassiliou. Following his victory, Clerides extended an open invitation to all political parties to form a coalition government. After several days of negotiations, a majority government was established, consisting of the DISY and DIKO. Clerides did not seek re-election for the party leadership, and as a result, on June 11, 1993, Yiannakis Matsis became the president of the Democratic Rally, running unopposed. Matsis reassured that the party would continue supporting the government of its founder, Glafcos Clerides. Clerides prioritised the admission of Cyprus into the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union, and aimed to hold a United Nations National Conference to address the Cyprus problem. Faced with a high budget deficit inherited from the previous administration, Clerides' finance minister implemented measures to reduce public spending and increase taxation.During his presidency, Clerides engaged in multiple discussions with Rauf Denktaş, the "president" of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, to address the Cyprus problem. Clerides sought greater involvement from the United States in resolving the issue, which he conveyed to President Bill Clinton during their meeting in New York. Additionally, Clerides had a notable disagreement with British Foreign Minister Douglas Hurd over his stance on the Cyprus issue.
On June 7, 1997, Yiannakis Matsis, President of the Democratic Rally, expressed his serious dissatisfaction with president Clerides for not listening to the party's input. He also criticised his party for failing to produce substantial policy proposals and for the vindictive behaviour of some members. In protest, he withdrew his candidacy for re-election as president of DISY. Nicos Anastasiades competed with Demetris Syllouris for the party leadership and won the election with 69% of the vote.
During his first five-year term, Clerides lost the support of his coalition partner, DIKO, which instead backed his opponent, Georgios Iacovou, in the 1998 presidential election. Despite being supported by both AKEL and DIKO, Iacovou lost the election, with Clerides winning a second term with 50.8% of the vote in the second round. Although Clerides aimed to create an all-party government, AKEL and DIKO strongly opposed his invitation and positioned themselves as "strong opposition" parties. After discussions with multiple party leaders, a coalition government was formed between DISY, EDEK and United Democrats.
During 1997–1998, Clerides' government made the decision to acquire Russian-made S-300 missile systems, heightening tensions with Turkey, which threatened military action in response. The crisis ended in December 1998 when Cyprus relocated the missiles to Greece. The so-called Cypriot S-300 crisis led to the dissolution of the coalition government, leaving only DISY and EDI remaining in the coalition.
During his second term, Clerides actively pursued Cyprus's admission to the European Union, engaging in numerous official accession talks.
Clerides had announced that he would not seek re-election for a third term. However, on January 3, 2003, he urged Cypriots to grant him an additional 16-month term to pursue a reunification deal with the self-proclaimed Northern Cyprus. Clerides called on other candidates to support him and form a national unity government to achieve this goal; however, his opponents did not agree to his proposal.
2003: A fragmented presidential bid
In the 2003 presidential election, Glafcos Clerides sought an additional 16-month term to pursue a reunification deal. Although he had the official support of his party, a notable former DISY MP and Attorney General of Cyprus, Alecos Markides, opposed Clerides' candidacy and ran independently in the election. Markides garnered significant support from within DISY, including backing from 5 of the 19 DISY MPs, and secured 6.6% of the vote. Clerides received 38.8% in the first round, while Tassos Papadopoulos, supported by DIKO and AKEL, won the election outright with 51.5% of the vote, making DISY the official opposition.Following the election results, DISY President Nicos Anastasiades immediately expelled the five MPs who had supported Markides from the party's registry. These MPs included Demetris Syllouris, Prodromos Prodromou, Riccos Erotokritou, Eleni Vrahimi, and Sofoklis Hatziyiannis. Anastasiades strongly criticised them for undermining Clerides' candidacy and contributing to the party's electoral defeat. The five expelled members condemned Anastasiades' action and demanded his resignation, warning of a "civil war" within the party.
2004: DISY Splits into Three over the Annan Plan
On April 24, 2004, Cypriot voters participated in a referendum on the Annan Plan, which proposed the establishment of the United Republic of Cyprus as a federation of two states: Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot. The plan outlined a federal government that would feature a collective Presidential Council, a bicameral legislature, a Supreme Court with equal representation from both communities, and mechanisms for reconciliation and troop reductions.After an internal referendum, the Democratic Rally officially endorsed the Annan Plan, encouraging its voters to support it with a YES vote. Glafcos Clerides, who was 85, notably remarked that if the majority rejected the plan, he would prefer to die rather than witness the resulting devastating consequences.
The Democratic Rally was the only parliamentary party to support the Annan Plan, alongside the smaller United Democrats, leading to a vote against the referendum.
Despite the party's official stance, a significant faction within DISY expressed opposition to the referendum, raising concerns about a potential split of the party. Former DISY president Yiannakis Matsis, who had previously clashed with Anastasiades' leadership, initiated plans to form a new political party called "European Rally", receiving support from expelled MPs Prodromos Prodromou and Demetris Syllouris.
The opposers of the Annan Plan followed through on their threats by founding the alliance "Rally For Europe" in preparation for the 2004 European Parliament elections. Among the six candidates were Yiannakis Matsis, former president of DISY, along with Riccos Erotokritou and Prodromos Prodromou, all of whom were critical of Anastasiades' DISY leadership. The alliance also received support from expelled DISY MP and Parliamentary Spokesperson Demetris Syllouris, although he did not actively join it. The Democratic Rally contested the use of the term "Rally" in the alliance's name, citing legal restrictions against other parties using it. Ultimately, the alliance was renamed "For Europe" and received 10.8% of the votes, with Matsis securing one of the six seats in the European Parliament. The Democratic Rally narrowly surpassed AKEL, winning two seats with 28.2% of the votes.
File:Dimitris Syllouris - 2017 .jpg|thumb|157x157px|Demetris Syllouris, expelled DISY MP and president of the splinter EVROKO.
Following the elections, the "For Europe" alliance continued to distance itself from its parent party, DISY, and eventually evolved into a registered political party known as European Democracy. Despite initially endorsing the alliance, Demetris Syllouris refused to join EvroDi and promoted the foundation of a new political movement, the European Party.
In 2005, expelled DISY MP Syllouris proposed merging the right-wing parties EvroDi and New Horizons to form EVROKO. He gained support from New Horizons and from a significant faction of expelled DISY MPs and EvroDi members. However, Prodromos Prodromou, president of EvroDi, did not accept the merger proposal. This led to a split in EvroDi, with many of its members, including its vice-president Riccos Erotokritou, joining EVROKO.
The aftermath of the internal disagreements led to the split of DISY into three co-existing parties, each led by influential and notable figures who had played active roles during Clerides' administration.