AKEL C.C. plenary statement
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 30th May 2016, Nicosia
The plenary of the C.C. of AKEL, which convened today 30th May 2016, discussed and took decisions on the following issues:
1) With regards the election results of the 22nd May parliamentary elections, the C.C. of AKEL conveys its warm thanks and congratulations to all the members, cadres and friends of the Party who made great efforts so that our Party was able to secure the highest possible percentage in the parliamentary elections of 22nd May.
We knew that the percentage would be below that of the 2011 parliamentary elections, given the extremely adverse political conditions we have been facing over the past five years. However, the result of the elections and the percentage of 25.7% we attained cannot under any circumstances be considered as satisfactory. More specifically, we had hoped that these elections would have signaled a path of recovery for our Party through the election result as well, something which in the end was unfortunately not achieved.
It is not the intention of the C.C. at this stage to present before the Party membership its own comprehensive assessment of the election result.
The decision has been taken that this will be done after the views of the Party membership will be heard through the waging of a discussion without a predetermined framework, which will be conducted at the general meetings of the Party Base Organizations.
The C.C. of AKEL expresses the certainty that the members and cadres of the Party will express their views freely and with the known maturity and responsibility that distinguishes them. It believes that in this way a constructive and productive dialogue will take place, the results of which will be transferred to the guiding bodies of the Party.
At the same time, the decision has been taken to offer more broadly the possibility to the friends of the Party, to those voters of AKEL who did not vote for the Party in these elections, but also to the citizens in general who want to convey their positions, to do so in an organized manner within the framework of a specific process, the details of which will to be announced in the coming days.
In the next plenary session, the C.C. of AKEL will proceed to make a comprehensive assessment of the election result and will take the relevant decisions with regards our future steps, initiatives and actions; decisions which we will be called upon collectively and effectively to implement in practice, so that AKEL will manage to take the path of recovering its forces, which will lead it to the position it deserves and which Cypriot society, our people and workers need it to be.
2) Regarding the issue of the election of the President of the House of the Representatives, the C.C. of AKEL unanimously approved today the handling of the issue made so far by the General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL and the Political Bureau of the C.C. In addition, the C.C. of AKEL set out the political framework for the further handling of the issue and authorized the Political Bureau to take the relevant decisions when it has all the facts and given situation before it. The C.C. of AKEL adopted the position that AKEL will not participate in any collusion “give-and-take” or horse-trading with any party in view of the procedure for the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In the same context, AKEL will not under any circumstances alter or deviate from its positions and policy. On the contrary, regardless of the Presidency of the House of Representatives, we will subsequently seek cooperations for the promotion of that policy which in our evaluation better serves Cyprus, our people, the workers and Cypriot society. Taking this into account, in the consultations with other political forces AKEL will retain the candidacy of the General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL Andros Kyprianou as a choice; a choice which, apart from the political characteristics it naturally bears, can successfully fulfill the increased demands and preconditions that exist for the second highest state post.
3) Election of the new Parliamentary Leader of AKEL- Left – New Forces
As the Party statutes foresee, the C.C. of AKEL unanimously elected Giorgos Loucaides as the new Parliamentary Leader of AKEL- Left – New Forces, after a relevant proposal of the Political Bureau and after consultation with the Parliamentary Group of the Party, which had also unanimously supported his candidacy.
4) Election of a new Press Spokesperson of AKEL
The C.C. unanimously elected Stefanos Stefanou as the new Press Spokesperson of AKEL, following a relevant proposal of the Political Bureau. Stefanos Stefanou simultaneously assumes the position of Head of the Party’s unified Press and Communication Office.
