Interview with the General Secretary of the Central Committee of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou
‘NEOLEA’ – ‘YOUTH’ monthly newspaper of EDON, the Youth Organisation of AKEL
Sunday 5 November 2023
On 26 November, the Statutory Congress of AKEL will convene. The Congress is being held with an eye to the future, aiming at renewal, modernisation, deepening internal-party democracy and strengthening the effectiveness of the Party’s interventions in society. The holding of the Congress will represent a milestone in the 97-year old history of AKEL, since through the collective reflection of the Party as a whole and the collective decisions expected to be approved, the Party will enter a new era. Ahead of the Congress, the General Secretary of the Party, comrade Stefanos Stefanou, outlines AKEL’s main objectives, the roadmap of the Congress and speaks about the future of the Party, looking ahead to the 100th anniversary since the foundation of the Communist Party of Cyprus and its successor AKEL in 1926.
QUESTION: As we know, the new leadership of AKEL, after the 2021 regular Congress, was called upon to implement a series of decisions, changes and actions that were decided at the Congress. On the road to the Statutory Congress, what other actions and/or decisions preceded in this direction after the election of the new leadership?
STEFANOS STEFANOU: The task assigned to the new leadership by the 2021 Regular Congress was for AKEL to get back to where History, which it wrote itself, has placed it. That is to say, a strong and mass Party, a protagonist of developments, with prestige and influence, both inside and outside Cyprus.
Therefore, the task that has been set is, without abandoning our identity and principles, to articulate a new discourse, to communicate our positions and vision for Cyprus, our society and people in a better way. To be in practice and in a position to convince the people that we are the pillar of support of every worker, of every person who is worried about how to get through the day, the week and the month, that AKEL is the hope of all those people who are worried about the present and the future of our country and society.
After the 2021 AKEL Congress, we focused on promoting changes at various levels. The Congress renewed the collective bodies of the Party and from there onwards, we began a collective effort to fulfill the tasks set before us. Of course we did not limit ourselves to renewing party bodies, the image and way of communication.
During these two years since the last Congress, a concerted effort was made to elaborate proposals and positions on the principal issues of concern to society. We have organised thematic nation-wide campaigns on, among other things, the economy, the housing issue, price increases. Our campaign on Young Parents is now underway.
By doing so, we are trying to reassure society that AKEL has formulated positions and proposals that are realistic and applicable, so that solutions can be provided to the most important issues that concern our workers, youth and people.
QUESTION: What is the procedure to be followed and how will the Party’s grassroots membership be involved in the processes leading to the Statutory Congress?
SS: The process has already been initiated as provided for in the Party Statutes. The proposals for statutory changes have been approved in the Central Committee and are currently being discussed in the Party Base Organisations. When this discussion in the Party organisations is completed, we will go back to the Central Committee for an evaluation of the dialogue conducted and then they will be put before the Statutory Congress scheduled to take place on 26 November.
QUESTION: Why is there a need to change the Party Statutes and Rules of Procedure?
SS: The Party’s structures, procedures and mode of operation must be adapted to the way it operates and the pace at which society is developing. At a time when everything is moving at faster and more direct pace, when the ways of communication are changing, when people’s minds are being shaped with different perceptions and leaps, it goes without saying that we must also look at how we become more efficient and more productive.
Without, of course, renouncing ourselves, without abandoning our ideological identity, our visions and history, we must democratically and collectively work out ways to renew our structures, functioning, procedures and our way of working. We must leave behind what is outdated and we must improve all that is useful.
QUESTION: It has been repeatedly stressed that the Statutory Congress will not focus on the character, ideology and fundamental ideological and political principles of AKEL. How do the Party’s character and principles manage to guide its thinking and actions in a constantly changing world?
SS: As I said previously, the Statutory Congress isn’t being convened for AKEL to take a different identity, but about changing those elements which practice itself has proven that they have been overtaken by time or that they will allow us to work better in the new conditions. Neither our ideology, nor our principles prohibit this. On the contrary, they impose it on us. Marxism-Leninism is not a prayer to be repeated morning and night. It is a lens with which we examine specific conditions, it is a tool with which we interpret reality. It is a guide for political action based on the dialectical method.
This approach has elevated AKEL over the past decades and given it wings and strength to open up paths for the progress of Cypriot society. This is how AKEL has managed to mobilise the masses over time to the benefit of society and the country, from the perspective and interests of the working people. By coming forward with proposals and actions, without of course abandoning its vision of a qualitatively alternative society, socialism.
This is therefore what has made AKEL a powerful political force and a factor of progress for working people and Cyprus, and this is how we want to ensure that it continues to be such a force. By struggling in today’s conditions, we are building the perspective for tomorrow.
QUESTION: What will the main issues be that the statutory Congress will focus on and what are the issues – among others – that the Party leadership believes should be discussed?
SS: The main objectives of the Statutory Congress are to harmonise AKEL’s Statutes and Rules of Procedure/Functioning with the modern conditions in the political and institutional superstructure, to simplify structures and procedures in order to be faster and more efficient in our functioning and activity, but to also further deepen democracy within the Party, strengthening the participation of the Party’s grassroots. At the same time, we want to strengthen the Party’s relations and contacts with society.
QUESTION: What is the role of the young generation of AKEL members and cadres in this process, as well as in the overall course of the Party and the challenge for the Party’s age renewal?
SS: Youth is a life-giving source for AKEL and the People’s Movement of the Left. We want the youth to play a leading role in the life and activity of the Movement. To be at the forefront of AKEL’s “small” and big struggles for the workers, the people and Cyprus. But we do not just want the presence and contribution of youth in our everyday life and political actions. We want to hear its voice, its opinion, its concerns and its perspective.
I should note that in recent years the number of young people in the Party’s leadership bodies has increased significantly. We are thus opening the doors wide open to the young generation of the Party, seeking an ongoing dialogue and debate on the issues that concern them, setting an agenda for young people and what concerns them.
QUESTION: The Communist Party of Cyprus – AKEL is approaching the 100 years since its foundation. What are the Party leadership’s plans, as we approach this milestone in 2026?
SS: One hundred years of rich history and political experience translated into many important gains for the workers and Cypriot people, into the waging of bloody struggles for democracy, the independence and freedom of the homeland.
We will honor this history with the organisation of various events and actions, with initiatives that will shed light on and promote the glorious history and struggles of our Party. At the same time, we want to highlight our aspirations, goals and visions for the people, society, Cyprus and the whole world.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of our Party, we want to talk about the future, about the years to come. We want to find AKEL strong, mass and powerful, a protagonist of developments. A special Committee has been set up for the celebrations of the Party’s 100th anniversary, which is preparing a comprehensive proposal for the events to be held and the initiatives to be taken.
