Akel outlines priorities for 2028 presidential election

Akel secretary-general Stefanos Stefanou on Saturday outlined the party’s priorities for the 2028 presidential election, calling for a change of government and a new approach to the Cyprus problem, the economy and foreign policy. Addressing the party’s central committee as it met to approve its electoral framework, Stefanou presented seven priorities for what he described as “progressive change”, while sharply criticising the administrations of former President Nicos Anastasiades and President Nikos Christodoulides. “For us, elections have a deep political content. They are not about personal ambitions or agendas, but about the ability to talk about the substance, about everything that determines our reality, as a state and as citizens,” he said. Stefanou blamed Anastasiades and Christodoulides for what he described as the country’s “deplorable situation”, arguing that the problems facing Cyprus were the result of deliberate political choices. “The dystopian reality we are experiencing, against the prosperity of numbers, does not happen in a political vacuum. It concerns specific political choices that were made and led us here,” he said. He accused Anastasiades of betraying his election promises through the 2013 haircut on bank deposits, which he said had devastated thousands of households and small and medium-sized businesses. Stefanou also alleged that the cooperative banking sector had been deliberately driven into bankruptcy and sold off to rescue a private bank, while legislative changes had enabled banks to seize people’s property through fast-track procedures. Akel boss Stefanos Stefanou He further accused the previous administration of allowing corruption to flourish through major development projects, some of which remained unfinished. “It is during this period that the scandals sprouted like mushrooms in large projects of hundreds of millions which remained half-finished and in disuse, because what was important for some was not the service of the public interest, but the percentage of the kickback they would put in their pockets,” he said. Calling for a “progressive change” that would serve ordinary people and tackle vested interests, Stefanou said the policies responsible for the country’s problems had to end. “Christodoulides and Disy must leave power so that society can breathe,” he said. Turning to Akel’s seven priorities, Stefanou placed a solution to the Cyprus problem at the top of the agenda, calling for a president prepared to take concrete steps towards reunification and an end to the Turkish occupation. “In the phase that the Cyprus problem is in today, it is not enough to declare in favour of the bizonal bicommunal federation (BBF) with political equality and the general positions in favour of the resumption of negotiations,” he said. His second priority focused on strengthening the welfare state and workers’ rights, with measures to address the cost of living, inequality, and the housing and energy crises. Stefanou also called for a united response from progressive political forces against the far right, warning that Elam’s possible participation in government would risk encouraging authoritarianism, violence and nationalism. “The progressive forces of the country have a historic duty to work together to isolate the far right,” he said. As a fourth priority, he proposed a new economic model based on sustainable development, environmental protection and the preservation of national wealth for future generations. He also called for the protection of strategic infrastructure, essential services such as healthcare and education, and public assets from large-scale sell-offs to foreign investors and investment funds. “The government that will bring about progressive change in 2028 will proceed with drastic and effective regulations in order to protect the quality of life of our people, the public and natural wealth as well as the national security of the country,” he said. Next, Stefanou emphasised the importance of the restauration of the rule of law and institutions, as well as the fight against “institutional vested interests, corruption and meritocracy”. His sixth priority concerned restoring the rule of law, strengthening institutions and combating corruption, favouritism and entrenched interests. “Progressive change means a new ethos and style of power, with independent institutions and effective accountability, with zero tolerance for corruption, with a president and a government that clash with vested interests rather than accommodate them.” Finally, he advocated a different approach to foreign policy, criticising what he described as the current government’s alignment with Israel and the United States. “In place of the existing doctrine of attachment and subservience to the governments of Israel and the US and serving their interests, the government of progressive change, taking into account of course the fact that we are an EU member state, will follow a multidimensional foreign policy,” he said. Such an approach, Stefanou argued, should be based on international law and peace, keep Cyprus out of regional conflicts and militarisation, and prioritise the interests of its citizens and efforts to end the Turkish occupation.