The leadership of AKEL is ready and determined not to let the prospect of cross-party cooperation in the field of presidential elections wear out in time. This means that he will not spend too much time consulting with parties and forces with which he is in contact for possible cooperation. This development leads to only one conclusion: AKEL does not rule out the autonomous descent in the 2023 presidential elections, collaborating with forces, movements and movements beyond the well-known party formations.
Any cross-party collaborations in the field of opposition, according to estimates coming from the leading pyramid of AKEL, will soon have an expiration date. “We will not discuss indefinitely and we will not let AKEL undermine the process of inter-party consultation for a long time”, was the position that was explicitly emphasized in “P” by a source that can not be disputed.
AKEL and DIKO, at the highest level, have been discussing – officially – since March 1 the possibility of their cooperation in the upcoming presidential elections, although informally, as is the case elsewhere, contacts have been made for several months. The official contacts, to stay with the last ones, which started on March 1st, are made with ups and downs, while only in the middle of this week it became more than certain that the two parties “threw a curtain” or “whistled the end” in their consultation. However, as “P” is validly informed, an attempt was made, which was crowned with success and the dialogue between them got the “kiss of life”. But until when? It is difficult to answer the question, although attempts are being made to send the message that every effort will be made in this direction. By the time these lines were drawn, however, no date had been set, as far as we know, for a new meeting between the two parties.
The message of the AKEL leadership to DIKO was clear from the very beginning. We discuss the prospect of cooperation, excluding the leaders of the two parties and consequently senior officials who are next to them. This can easily be interpreted as a clear message that in no case should any “questioning” of the two leaders be allowed to hover. From AKEL's point of view, at least, it was clear from the very beginning that the two parties should talk, prepare a list of people, each party from its own space, to discuss on paper: Both name and perspective.
On the “thorny” issue of the Cyprus issue, DIKO, at least officially, has not renounced the Bi-Zonal Bicommunal Federation, while the Agreement of July 8 concluded by Tassos Papadopoulos, stands, at least on paper, still on the part of his party Center. From DIKO, it was clear from the beginning that he was only discussing the name of its president. It took a discussion that took some time for Nikolas Papadopoulos himself to admit that the “trauma” is big, and the people of AKEL, very difficult, probably for sure better, will gather high percentages of rallying around a possible candidacy of the leader of DIKO.
The leadership of DIKO raised the issue of participation of EDEK from the very beginning, stating that in any cooperation with AKEL, there should be a place for the Social Democrats. Even in the first meeting between Stefanos Stefanos and Nikolas Papadopoulos, the president of DIKO in his statements to the journalists emphasized and repeated, in the presence of the secretary general. of AKEL, that “at least as far as we are concerned, we consider that EDEK is a potentially important partner in this effort for change. We believe that we are united by common struggles in terms of efforts to improve the political and social data of our country and therefore this will be our goal “, he said characteristically.
” Closed “for AKEL the EDEK chapter
The EDEK chapter is considered closed for AKEL. EDEK is a party that has rejected the solution of a Bisexual Bicommunal Federation, so in the Cyprus issue there can be no component. On the other hand, the leadership of AKEL considers that “Marinos Sizopoulos is not going to extend his hand for cooperation” with Hezekia Papaioannou. And if Marinos Sizopoulos does not find partners in the first round of the elections, it is not excluded that he will support Averof Neophytou, if not from the first Sunday, with certainty in the second. And since we are talking about EDEK, let us note that Mr. Sizopoulos himself, months ago (November '21), as we are able to know, called Nikolas Papadopoulos to cooperate with a candidate one of the two, or “to proceed to support for the candidacy of Nikos Christodoulidis “, as he used to say.
List with three names
Let's return to the contacts between AKEL and DIKO. Once it became clear that the candidacies of the two leaders were ruled out, another person of mutual acceptance had to be sought. And based on the past, where the two parties were discussing names like Christos Mavrelis and Makis Keravnos, for example, today they could do something similar. What could this name be?
Is it Markos Kyprianou?
The name of the deputy president of DIKO “fell” on the table for the one and only reason . Since AKEL does not accept Nikola Papadopoulos, DIKO, in order to maintain its coalition, with which it is facing a really serious problem, must turn to a party executive. This, of course, contradicts what AKEL requested. No leaders and first-class executives.
In addition, it was decided between the two parties to observe the following ethical rule : No one should nominate the other executive of the other party as a joint candidate . This is to avoid intra-party frictions on both sides.
AKEL list
By Hezekiah Papaioannou, the list had more than three names. We are left with the three, which were discussed and rejected by DIKO with justification: Achilleas Dimitriadis , because it does not unite DIKO, Erato Kozakou Markoullis , because he has no prospect of success and Tassos Christofidis , rector of the University of Cyprus, because he is unknown.
In the previous days, what they were discussing in the party and press offices was the “end” of the AKEL and DIKO negotiations. No matter how difficult things are, what our report records is that AKEL will insist, will avoid big words and conflicting statements “because it wants to protect the process”. At the same time, of course, he will not hesitate to end this process.
2023 is not 2003
AKEL and DIKO collaborated in the past. And the cooperation of 2003 was successful, after he managed the election of Tassos Papadopoulos as President of the Republic and Dimitris Christofias as President of Parliament. 2023, however, is not 2003, and there are many things that have taken place in the 20 years that have passed since then.
now years- is that DIKO pushes things where it wanted from the beginning: In collaboration with Nikos Christodoulidis. Already three (if not more) DIKO MPs are not only “turning a blind eye” to the former Foreign Minister, but are also reportedly ready to work in its staff.
AKEL, however, is ready for the plan β '. And this has the content of the autonomous descent to the upcoming presidential elections, seeking cooperation with party forces, but also beyond the party formations.
