General Secretary of AKEL S.Stefanou: We are nearing the stage where decisions on the presidential candidate will be taken

 

Sunday 3 April 2022, “Haravgi” newspaper

The situation regarding the selection of a candidate for the upcoming presidential elections and AKEL’s perspective on the web of challenges Cyprus is facing today, with criticism of the President of the Republic and the DISY Government, were all outlined by the General Secretary of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou speaking in London on Sunday morning.

S.Stefanou was addressing the delegates of the 13th Conference of the AKEL Branch in Britain which took place at the Cyprus Community Centre in the very heart of the North London Cypriot community.

“Cyprus needs a progressive change, which we can, must and are working to achieve in the upcoming presidential elections,” he said. “The situation in Cyprus can no longer continue as it is. Ten years of DISY in government have left Cyprus full of serious deadlocks on the Cyprus problem, in the economy and society, everywhere,” he continued.

S.Stefanou went on to declare: “That is precisely why we have set the goal of winning the presidential elections with a progressive candidate who will have a progressive programme to achieve progressive change.

“We have set as our primary objective, and it is for this goal that we are now working towards, in this election to find a common language and common ground with all those political forces that share with us the urgent need to achieve change in the country, with the Democratic Party and the Ecologists as a priority, without saying that we are not seeking dialogue with the other political forces of the opposition too.

“We are not in a dialogue on this issue with those forces in power, who we want to remove from power, which they have been abusing and exploiting for ten years, and we certainly do not talk with the far-right ELAM party, with whom we never talk with.”

The General Secretary of AKEL subsequently told the Conference delegates that actions and efforts are being made to agree on a candidate for the presidential elections, commenting that “good work is being done without much fuss”. He added that “we are slowly reaching the stage where decisions will have to be taken. This discussion is not going to go on for a long time, because at some point there will either be a yes or a no so that we can move on”.

If the first objective of agreeing on a common progressive candidate is not achieved, Stefanos Stefanou added, then AKEL will continue the effort by addressing society.

Referring to the Cyprus problem, the General Secretary of AKEL accused the President of the Republic of Cyprus of having made the Greek Cypriot side “unreliable/untrustworthy” and assessed that Turkey has been relieved of any responsibilities by the international community, both for the failure at Crans Montana and the prolonged deadlock surrounding the Cyprus problem.

“So great are the interests at stake that major EU countries choose to be on good terms with Turkey,” he said, accusing the government of belatedly acknowledging this fact.

“At the same time, the government ruling forces through their own actions have managed to succeed in achieving the unthinkable, namely to undermine the ability of the Republic of Cyprus to demand from the EU its effective and practical solidarity with Cyprus over Turkey’s illegal actions. And when you are untrustworthy you can’t for that reason be convincing, as the Greek Cypriot side’s chief negotiator appointed by Nicos Anastasiades himself has repeatedly said,” he added.

Stefanos Stefanou again accused the President that he has not accepted to discuss the proposal submitted by AKEL for a solution, a proposal that stresses the importance of hydrocarbons operating as a catalyst for progress and the need for continued pressure to be exerted on Turkey.

He also criticised President Anastasiades and the ruling DISY party that they have “reduced” the country to being viewed by the international community as a “laundry for illegal money” and a refuge for “fraudsters”, in a reference to the government’s “golden passports” scheme.

The General Secretary of AKEL also noted the need to change the economic and developmental model of Cyprus, questioning at the same time the “neoliberal perception” of the market’s ability to supposedly regulate everything.

Referring to the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war on grain trade, fuel trade and energy, he stressed that the state needs to have control over strategic sectors of the economy, so that it does not become hostage to oligopolies and monopolies.

On the issue of price hikes which is affecting Cyprus too, the General Secretary of AKEL said that a targeted and timely policy is demanded, which he has not seen from the government ruling forces in Cyprus.

The 13th Conference of the AKEL Branch in Britain is the first to be held since 2017 primarily due to the pandemic. It was an opportunity for party members in Britain to be briefed about the actions over the past few years, discuss the organisation and objectives of the AKEL Branch, as well as to discuss and address the problems the Cypriot community is facing.