Pelekanos resigns as Disy vice chairman, resignation ‘not accepted’

Marios Pelekanos on Monday resigned as vice chairman of Disy, two days after failing to be selected as a candidate for the party for June’s European Parliament elections.

However, the party’s remaining leadership have indicated they will not accept his resignation.

“My political ethics, my dignity, and my conscience do not allow me to continue and oblige me to submit my resignation from the position of deputy leader,” he said in a post on X, the social media platform.

“I worked all this time with a clear goal: to make Disy a big and modern party of the right again, with clear positions and a clear orientation,” he added.

In response, Disy Deputy Leader Efthymios Diplaros said the party “cannot accept” Pelekanos’ resignation and urged him to think again.

Speaking to Sigma Live, he said “Marios Pelekanos felt the need for reasons of dignity to submit his resignation, but this is something which will concern the leadership. I think our friend Marios Pelekanos should think again, and we will look at this matter again within the day.”

“He admitted that the reason for his resignation was that he had not made it onto the party’s list for the European Parliament elections,” he added.

Pelekanos was elected as the party’s deputy leader in May last year but finished five votes behind the final candidate selected for Disy’s party list for June’s election. He is also a former government spokesman.

Should Pelekanos not have second thoughts, Disy members will move to elect a new vice chairman.