Dipa leader Marios Garoyian on Wednesday morning accompanied his party’s candidates to register their candidacies in the Nicosia district, though after having spent 15 of the last 20 years as an MP, he will not stand as a candidate himself.

On this front, he said he has “mixed feelings”, but stressed that not standing in the election is a “conscious choice” on his part, as “it gives space to young people to challenge and win”.

“It is a poorly kept secret that on the domestic front, there are tensions and intense suspicion. Perpetuating the same problems consumes time and energy and produces counterproductive dialogue, creating anger and disappointment,” he said.

He added that Dipa is “submitting a diverse list” of candidates, “with people from different paths”.

“We know that society and citizens are not interested in big words, but in tangible results,” the 64-year-old Armenian Cypriot said, before adding that “the history of Hellenism has clearly demonstrated that division leads to destruction”.

As such, he said, “Dipa, as a sober, moderate faction of the centre, declares its presence in this election as well”.

“With determination, we will continue to contribute to social cohesion and the modernisation of the state. In the new parliament, we will decide wisely,” he said.

Polling suggests that Dipa will not win any seats at the forthcoming election, though the party did somewhat surprise pollsters last time around, winning four seats at its first parliamentary electoral test in 2021.