Long interview with the General Secretary of AKEL S. Stefanou

 

Sunday 7 July 2024, “Kathimerini” newspaper

KATHIMERINI: What is the reason for the negative result of the European elections?

SS: The result of the European elections was indeed not good. There is the numerical and political aspect and analysis. AKEL got roughly the same number of voters at the ballot box as it in the previous European elections, but this time the turnout was higher, resulting in a decrease in the party’s share and the loss of the second seat [out of Cyprus’ 6 seats] in the European Parliament.

The question arises, however, whether we would have been happy with an increased turnout only from those who usually go and vote. We say no. There are two main groups that we want to appeal to. The one that has expectations from the Left, but still does not trust us and chooses to abstain. The other one is a specific group of society that for a number of socio-economic reasons not only doesn’t vote, but demeans and rejects political parties.

KATHIMERINI: How will you achieve this?

SS: This is the without any doubt the key challenge and it will be on our minds at the Party’s Central Committee plenary this Saturday. The European elections were a failure, but the results we recorded in the local and municipal elections were very good.

KATHIMERINI: Does the good result attained in the municipal elections act as an excuse?

SS: No, it is not and we are not claiming that we failed in the European elections but did well in the municipal elections so the results even out. But the fact is that with regards the local government elections as far as our party Municipal Council and School Boards electoral lists are concerned we had registered an increase of approximately 5%.

Also positive is the fact that all the Mayors from AKEL who were re-elected won by recording significant percentages.

The alliances that we had forged also yielded results and these alliances create a different framework compared to the efforts that are being made by the ruling established order and centres of power in Cyprus to isolate AKEL.

KATHIMERINI: Who are these establishment forces and centres of power that are seeking to isolate AKEL?

SS: First of all, DISY party. It wants to isolate us and it proclaims this publicly in various ways. We know that attempts have been made by very high echelons of power to use the local elections as a vehicle to forge cooperation between parties supporting the government and DISY in order to create the right climate for DISY to enter the Christodoulides government.

It is no coincidence that the President of the Republic had given an interview, roughly timed at the beginning of the discussions surrounding possible alliances in the local elections, in which he had pointed out that he would like to see DISY join his government.

KATHIMERINI: You said that cooperation/alliances in local government create a different framework. What do you mean?

SS: Cooperation/alliances forged at a local level and the joint support of candidates strengthened AKEL’s channels of contact with parties where cooperation at a local level was agreed. This strengthens the conditions for cooperation regarding subsequent political and electoral battles. By political battles I mean both inside and outside Parliament for assertions on various issues.

To implement progressive programmes at a local government level, it is important to have a majority current to support these efforts. I am not hiding from you the fact that these alliances/cooperation at a local level create a prospect even for the next presidential elections and could under certain preconditions help towards developing a majority current to realise change.

KATHIMERINI: Are you referring to DIKO party?

SS: The main party with which we have had a broad cooperation at a local level is DIKO, but I can also mention EDEK.

KATHIMERINI: These parties are in government. So how will cooperation for the presidential election come about?

SS: It depends how things will shape up down the road. You realise that we are four years away from the presidential elections. We don’t know how the government will move, nor do we know where the parties in government will be, nor do we know what the political party map will be by then.

KATHIMERINI: Is AKEL making an opening to these forces? Because they were quite derogatory about AKEL, especially during the presidential election campaign.

SS: We do not know whether these cooperations will continue and we certainly did not pursue them now with the 2028 presidential elections in mind. Besides, if that was our goal, we would have sought to agree to a general cooperation at a national level and to forge cooperation in the local elections. What I am saying is that the fact that there has been mobilisation and cooperation at the local level creates a perspective. How that perspective will develop, no one knows.

KATHIMERINI: People like AKEL Larnaka city Mayor Vyras and newly elected independent Nicosia Mayor Prountzos supported by AKEL have recorded significant successes. Their names are already being bandied about for the presidential race. 

SS: We are glad that Andreas Vyras, who is an AKEL militant, s enjoys wide and horizontal acceptance/recognition. We supported Charalambos Prountzos, bearing in mind the cooperation we had between us during the presidential elections. We will try to continue this cooperation by supporting his efforts in the Nicosia Municipality.

It is natural that names are discussed for the presidential elections because, when one has successes, the mentioning of names usually begins. We have not discussed any names and we are not going to do so right now.

In our understanding, creating the preconditions to win presidential elections is not only a matter of names, but also a matter of creating momentum within society itself. If that is done then it is easier to find names too.

KATHIMERINI: In the European elections you set two objectives that were not achieved. Namely to receive 25.5% of the vote and to retain your two seats. AKEL usually says that it is not a party centred on a leader and that responsibilities are collective, as are decisions too. What are your responsibilities as party leader and how are they assumed?

SS: The decisions may be taken collectively and the General Secretary may be accountable to the Central Committee, something which makes the party not centred on a leader, but that does not mean that there is no leader and that he/she does not take on political responsibilities. The question of responsibilities is open to the Central Committee and if the C.C. assesses that in this situation we need to change leadership, we are here for that. I just think that is not how we should proceed at this stage to implement what we need to do.

KATHIMERINI: Was there the question of a change in the Party leadership raised?

SS: So far no one has raised that issue.

KATHIMERINI: You mentioned that good choices were made in the municipal elections. Could better choices have been made with regards the European election?

SS: We think that our European electoral list was also very good.

KATHIMERINI: Did the fact that AKEL did not clearly set out what the stakes of the European elections were play a role? If it did not come first with DISY in these specific conditions, then when will AKEL succeed in doing so?

SS: I still consider that the stakes were not for AKEL to come first but rather to secure two seats.

In addition, we wanted to highlight the stakes for Cyprus’ participation in the EU, but also for the future of the EU. The simultaneous holding of the two elections did not help this debate to take place.

KATHIMERINI: How do you interpret the limited turnout of Turkish Cypriots at the polls? Are they not moved by the election of a Turkish Cypriot MEP?

SS: It was indeed less than expected, but we were expecting around 7-8,000 and not the exaggerated numbers that were being reported. There was a lot of organisational effort made, more than in 2019, so the explanation we have to give is not organisational. We have to look at political reasons.

There is a lot of pessimism in the Turkish Cypriot community about the prospects for a solution of the Cyprus problem because of the stagnation observed since 2017. Turkish Cypriots are also under a lot of pressure from Ankara. In this climate, they do not believe that their participation in the European elections under the banner of the Republic of Cyprus will create any prospects.

Let us not forget that in the previous European elections, the Turkish Cypriot leader was Akinci, who created a positive climate, while now the Turkish Cypriot leadership under Tatar was completely against it and was putting obstacles in the way.

KATHIMERINI: Will the cooperation with Nyiazi Kizilyurek continue?

SS: Nyiazi is an asset we want to make use of. His academic, political and movement activities make him an important factor in the effort for rapprochement of the two communities and a solution to the Cyprus problem.

KATHIMERINI: Did the changes that AKEL made have any effect?

SS: Our assessment is that the changes we have managed to make have left a positive imprint. We need to find additional ways to get our messages across to the people.

KATHIMERINI: What change has had a positive impact?

SS: For example, the formation of the Social Alliance. 30% of our elected officials on Municipal Councils and School Boards come from the Social Alliance. Broadening our electoral lists with a wider range of people has helped us. But it is clear that we need to do more.

KATHIMERINI: Expectations for the Social Alliance were high. But it’s as if it doesn’t exist and that it is just a title. That they sort of changed the name of New Forces and renamed it Social Alliance.

SS: When we formed the Social Alliance we didn’t do it just to change the name of the New Forces. We expect to transform the Social Alliance into a dynamic and flexible platform for politics and mobilisation of people who either identify themselves as being on the broader spectrum of the left or even beyond the left and with whom we share a progressive agenda.

KATHIMERINI: What will happen?

SS: Coordinating groups at a district level are now being set up. We have already met in Nicosia and Limassol and we will hold meetings in Paphos, Larnaca and Famagusta too. We are already forming the Social Alliance on the ground and we will push forward with the promotion of the progressive social agenda.

KATHIMERINI: Who are the people who will come forward?

SS: We will set up the central coordinating group when we have finished with the district coordinating groups. The core group will consist of people who worked on the Andreas Mavroyiannis election team campaign, people who were in the New Forces and people who approached and worked with us during the local and European elections.

KATHIMERINI: One of the changes was the reduction of MPs’ terms from three to two. Some are completing their third term. Will they be given exemptions in order to run in the 2026 general election? 

SS: The new Party statutes provides for the possibility of very limited exceptions being granted by the Central Committee. We had a limit of three terms in public office and we reduced it to two. Those who are now completing a second term will be able to seek a third term. Some, as you mentioned, five in total are completing their third term. Out of these five, there is a possibility that up to two persons may be given an exemption by the Central Committee. This is something that will be discussed when the time comes. The General Secretary of the Party also has an exception.

KATHIMERINI: A year ago, in our first interview for the newspaper, you stated that the goal is to bring AKEL back to 30% pointing to the 2026 parliamentary elections. Do you need to redefine this goal?

SS: The goal to get back to where we have historically been does not change. It is just that the European elections have again highlighted the difficulty of the task, given the state of society and the collective social consciousness. What I can say is that in the coming parliamentary elections there must be a clear improvement and an increase in relation to our electoral figures.