Akel seeks ‘single progressive candidate’ to win 2028 presidency

Akel’s central aim in the 2028 presidential election is “progressive change” delivered by a united effort of forces, secretary-general Stefanos Stefanou said on Wednesday. Speaking in Nicosia at the presentation of the book “Studies on the History of the Left in Cyprus”, Stefanou said the change must rest on “a common progressive programme” and end in victory at the polls. “Experience had shown that in a world dominated by the institutions, policies and power of big capital, a left-wing government faces great challenges and dilemmas”, he said. Stefanou said Akel’s ability to shape a political agenda with broader goals was “the objective basis of collaborations”. He recalled earlier alliances, among them the United Front of Workers and Employees of Limassol in 1943 and the National Liberation Coalition, which operated from 1948 to 1953. He traced the party’s relationship with power to 1962, when its 10th Congress decided to give Archbishop Makarios critical support. Akel claimed no part in government and set no conditions beyond “the defence of Cypriot independence”. It later made agreement on a programme for governance a condition of backing any candidate, he said, as with the Minimum Programme of 1983 in support of Spyros Kyprianou and again in 1988 with Giorgos Vassiliou. The next stage was Akel’s entry into a governing coalition, with its own cadres serving in the government of Tassos Papadopoulos. Stefanou said the left wing “must listen to the needs of society, firmly defend workers, democracy, peace and other universal values, join forces and transform demands into collective action”.