Speech of the General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL A. Kyprianou to the plenary of the Central Committee to assess the 2018 presidential election
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 3rd March 2018, Nicosia
The Presidential Election battle was very difficult and decisive for the future course of our country and people. Unfortunately, we did not manage to win it, with the result that N. Anastasiades will remain for another five-year term President of the Republic. Nevertheless, our Party has emerged from this battle morally and politically stronger. This is also the feeling of the overwhelming majority of our militants, members and friends who waged this struggle with selflessness, self-denial and determination.
We addressed the people with sincerity, dignity and ethos. We avoided wild and hysterical actions, as well as big, empty words and sloganeering. The candidacy of Stavros Mala also assisted us greatly in this endeavor, who stood out with the quality of his character and ethos. However consistency to positions and principles, which we stuck to all these years, also helped us a great deal.
Particularly with regards to the Cyprus problem, we persisted in our policies and positions; positions that have come under vicious attacks over the last ten years. It’s very important that during the ongoing political confrontation during the election campaign these positions and policies were backed by on a big section of the electorate. The same can be said of our positions on other issues regarding internal governance and the modernization of society.
We also worked in a united and cohesive manner, and this had resulted in mobilizing the militants, members and friends of the Party, particularly in the last few weeks before the elections. We achieved a very high percentage in the rallying our forces and the truth is that this time more people came to work than in previous electoral campaigns.
In saying this, we must not forget that unfortunately there have been cases of cadres who didn’t work as much as they should have. We must deal with this issue concretely. Self-criticism always needs to precede any criticism. This must apply to all of us. We have many complex problems to tackle ahead of us. Well-intentioned criticism and constructive self-criticism can help us become better for the benefit of our Party and country.
The electoral result has elevated AKEL as the most powerful force of the opposition. The entire effort of the so-called intermediate political spectrum to emerge as the opposing force to governing DISY party, to project its so-called “new strategy” as a proposal for the solution of the Cyprus problem and to weaken AKEL, failed and came to nothing.
As I said also in the beginning, regrettably we have not succeeded in achieving our goal, which was to get rid of the Anastasiades government.
The candidacy of Stavros Malas passed to the second round, attaining a high percentage. It secured 44% of the vote. Unfortunately, despite the public positions of the parties that supported the candidacy of N. Papadopoulos (of the so-called intermediate political spectrum), they chose to call on their voters not to vote, thus giving a serious advantage to N. Anastasiades. This advantage and head start was reinforced by the almost universal support given by ELAM (Note: the neo-fascist Party with 5.65% of the votes in the first round and 2 MP’s) and “Solidarity” party (Note: right wing party which received 5.24% in the 2016 parliamentary elections with 3 MP’s and who supported N. Papadopoulos in the first round) to N. Anastasiades.
The people who voted for Stavros Malas saw in the positions he projected, the Cyprus of tomorrow. It credited the Left of the country with a vision and will to change things in our country. For us, this creates the obligation and duty to strengthen our Party’s struggles, presence and intervention, to intensify our political and organizational work and broaden our actions on a mass level.
We waged a tough struggle in difficult and adverse conditions. Since 2011, we have witnessed Cypriot society becoming more conservative. This was confirmed in the years that subsequently followed. At the same time, we had to make a huge effort so that our positions could reach the people, given the Right-wing superiority and might in the mass media. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that we waged this battle in completely negative conditions both for Stavros Malas and our Party. Our two main opponents had unlimited financial resources and enormous possibilities for intervention in the mass media.
The phenomenon of abstention has to a large extent been expressed in this electoral campaign too. It is a phenomenon that we have looked into extensively, but unfortunately we have not found effective ways to fully tackle it. As a phenomenon, it is not unrelated to the rapid impoverishment of many of our compatriots. At the same time, ELAM’s rhetoric deceives a section of society with its supposed “anti-systemic” stand, causing additional difficulties in our work. These are all additional challenges for us. We must, through our policy and actions, convince all these people that it is worth supporting the only force that fights for their own interests. We also need to expose the true face of ELAM, which it has to be said, hides this face very well so far.
We began this pre-election campaign with a negative sign: with our reduced percentage that was recorded in the last parliamentary elections, without forging any alliances and with the sum of the percentages of the parties backing Mr. Nicholas Papadopoulos exceeding by far our own percentage.
In addition, during this election campaign, we had to combat the perception which was entrenched in a significant part of society that AKEL’s five-year period was disastrous for the economy. This had roused and strengthened anti-AKEL sentiments. The chapter “Christofias governance” was invoked by our political opponents so as to have a negative influence on the electorate. To a certain extent, they achieved this goal once again.
Our Party has made its own assessment of the Christofias administration in sessions of its Central Committee and at the Programmatic and Regular Congress. We noted the rich and multifaceted work it had carried out. We also stood with self-criticism on its mistakes, weaknesses and omissions. But we didn’t manage to convince the majority of the people about these positions. We didn’t manage however to persuade the people about the character of the Cyprus crisis which was due to the banks, about the prospects that back then had opened up for the solution of the Cyprus problem and about the exploitation of the energy wealth. We didn’t manage to convince the people about the relentless and vulgar war conducted against D. Christofias and AKEL aiming at their demolition/defamation in the consciousness of society.
The ruling forces monotonously continued to repeat this propaganda against us on the issues of the economy, while on the Cyprus problem Mr. Anastasiades attempted to appear as the balancing force between the supposed “two extremes”: that is, on the one hand the forces supporting Mr. Papadopoulos expressing a hardline line on the Cyprus problem and on the other, AKEL who supported Mr. Malas and who supposedly was ready to make any concessions that Turkey would demand. They were accusing our Party and the candidate we supported, while they knew perfectly well that all these accusations were lies. Their stand is unacceptable and must not be forgotten easily.
But it was not just these objective factors that did not help our effort. Our conscious decision that we shouldn’t begin the inter-party procedures on the Elections so long as the efforts to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem were continuing also contributed to these factors. Although we started this preparation internally, it did not proceed in a timely manner or to a satisfactory level. This relative delay enabled N. Papadopoulos to cultivate a climate that he was the only candidate who could defeat Mr. Anastasiades.
It is also true that although the political rationale for a candidate of a broader acceptance was correct, the choice of Michalis Spanos proved to be wrong. The nomination of Michalis Spanos, the debates that took place within the Party, but also publicly, and eventually his withdrawal, generated an inwardness and a negative atmosphere even before pre-election campaigning began. This whole story was exploited by our political opponents to discredit the Malas candidacy. We must openly and honestly admit our mistake. Fortunately, together with the party membership, we were able to overcome the negative climate created during that time.
Finally, our work was made even more difficult also by the fact that Mr. Anastasiades and DISY party literally used the state mechanism as if it was their election campaign team. In addition, they engaged in the unrestrained tactic of announcing benefits – in competition with Mr. Papadopoulos’ electoral team – a fact which led to a section of the people being influenced.
During the election campaign, we must confess that we had to deal with several problems, which caused additional difficulties. We had problems in staffing the Candidate’s campaign team, a delay was observed in the elaboration of the election program, as well as a lack of coordination. We managed to overcome these problems and through our hard and daily work we managed with difficulties and gradually to reverse the defeatism/fatalism of our own supporters before the pre-election work even started.
We succeeded in overcoming these difficulties and this satisfies us. A successful political and communicative approach was formulated which was based on the serious and progressive political proposal that accompanied the Malas candidacy. Stavros Malas himself successfully put forth arguments in his public appearances, with an honest and sincere discourse. Party militants and cadres played an important role with their public interventions. All of this created the preconditions for us to pass into the 2nd Round generating a dynamic. The enormous organizational work done by hundreds of militants, members and friends of the Party, as well as people from other political spectrums, was contributed decisively to this achievement.
The elections highlighted once again that we have significant reserves of forces. This, combined with experience, the efforts to upgrade our work and the consistency shown by Party militants, contributed decisively to the result attained. Woe, though, if all of these assessments leady to any complacency. The problems we have identified previously still exist, indeed some have even intensified. We must focus on these problems in a serious way, with self-criticism and be ready to combat them.
We are now on the day after of the Presidential Election. We are already experiencing the consequences of Mr. Anastasiades’ handlings on the Cyprus problem, as well as on internal governance issues. The future does not appear so promising if one takes into account the handlings made on the Cyprus problem, the crisis in the Exclusive Economic Zone and the general developments on the economy and society.
As AKEL we are ready to exercise our role as an opposition force. As the strongest force of the opposition, we will support what serves our people’s aims and interests. We have no illusions. We have a radically different socio-economic policy from Mr. Anastasiades. For five years he gave so much to the privileged few and took so much away from the majority of the people. As far as the Cyprus problem is concerned, he has proved to be unreliable/untrustworthy and we do not trust him. He put his personal ambitions and considerations over and above the prospects of a solution to the Cyprus problem. That is why our criticism will be responsible and objective, but very severe.
The day after the Presidential Election finds AKEL strong and ready to wage new struggles. It finds AKEL consistent in the front line of the struggles underway for the interests of the working people and popular strata; consistent to its long-standing positions and policies for Cyprus, the people and the workers. With a strong voice that asserts for reunification, peace, progress and prosperity for all. With positions and proposals for an economy based on knowledge and innovation that will be generating growth for all.
Now is the time to regroup and stand at the forefront of the efforts to solve the Cypriot people’s problems.
First and foremost regarding the solution of the Cyprus problem with dedication to the goal of the solution and consistency to the basic principles of its solution. Every reasonable person knows that AKEL is the pillar of the effort for the solution of the Cyprus problem.
We must subsequently strengthen our Party’s social and class policy. It is not enough just to enhance our work within the House of Representatives. We need to strengthen our intervention in society, strengthen our campaigning activity in movements and mobilize the people against the neo-liberal, conservative policies of the government and ruling forces.
Interventions, activities and mobilizations in favour of the protection of working people, the regulation of labour relations and the combating of unemployment, Interventions and struggles that will show by actions/deeds, not in words, that we are indeed the force that wants and can achieve new gains.
Interventions, activities and mobilizations to support the welfare state, protect workers and young people because the government’s policies have shackled them into part-time employment, wages of 500 Euros, work on Sundays and manifold deadlocks.
Furthermore, we need to promote existing, but also elaborate new positions and proposals to be put before society on various economic issues, especially on issues regarding growth, provision of assistance and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, innovation and start-ups.
We also have the duty to work for the progressive and democratic modernization of Cypriot society, to stamp out corruption and interwoven interests, for the separation of the church from the state, to fight against established orders and interests, conservatism and stereotypes.
We can meet and engage with many organizations, social movements, personalities and organized groups on these goals. We must be and remain open, be in touch with them and be always ready through initiatives and actions to unite our forces to contribute towards making our society take steps forward.
The militants and members of AKEL need to participate in these movements and be at the forefront of actions in these movements.
We also have the task to combat the rise of neo-fascism. We need to study how we become more effective in combating them, how we work systematically and methodically to organize a front against the ultra-Right.
Organizational issues are the other big challenge we have to win. This is an ongoing life challenge. We had taken decisions at the last two Congresses, which were not promoted as much as they should have been. We need to look again at the issues related to the functioning of our Party Base Organizations, the Auxiliary Bureaus of the C.C., the activity of the People’s Movement of the Left and the New Forces. Particular attention and value must be attached to the renewal of the Party from the bottom, to the top.
Communication issues are also extremely important. It is true that it is much more difficult for us to transmit our messages. The mass media often demonstrate a scandalous prejudice against us in the way they prioritize or portray whatever concerns AKEL. Therefore, we ought – having the basis, namely the correct policy, positions and proposals – to ensure their best possible projection to the people. At the same time, we must continuously improve the image we convey as a Party to society.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with AKEL, we are credited with sincerity and seriousness. These characteristics must be preserved. As we must persuade the people, despite the depreciation and leveling, that we are the alternative different voice; a progressive and modern voice that fights for the whole of Cyprus and works with ethos and honesty for the interests of the working people and the whole of its people.
The Presidential Elections have shown that we have many possibilities, but also many problems and weaknesses. If we now demonstrate any delay, sloppiness and negligence in tackling them), we will have missed a unique opportunity to take our Party forward to where it deserves to be.
We have all the requirements to recover the dynamics we lost in previous years for various objective and subjective reasons. We put forth a political proposal for the Cyprus of tomorrow; the Cyprus of reunification and peace. We have elaborated positions and proposals on society and the economy. We have positions and proposals to move AKEL forward, the leading force in the great political and social struggles that will bring Cyprus out of the stagnation, conservatism, chains of established/vested interests and dead-end policies. We have many and competent militants, a precious force in the young generation, and chiefly the will to take bold steps that will make AKEL the protagonist over the coming decades.
We know that a large section of society shares common goals, common expectations and visions with us for the reunification of the country, for the modernization and democratization of the state and Cypriot society. With the majority of this people, we waged the battle of the Presidential Elections together; a politicized, but not party-affiliated people, people who for whatever reason had distanced themselves from AKEL in recent years. It is all these people that are suffocating in the obsolete outdated outlooks that are holding our society trapped in the old and rotten. We may have our own analysis about society and the economy, about the system in which we live, but we want to discuss and listen to their positions and ideas and take joint initiatives.
The day after the Presidential Election finds us ready to discuss in a dialectical and calm manner our presence, role and intervention in the Cyprus of the 21st century.
History is before us.
We must respond to its call.
