“AKEL's ballot writes History, opens paths and looks to the future”, said the General Secretary of the party Stefanos Stefanou in his speech, presenting his candidates for the European elections 2024.
Mr. Stefanou pointed out that for what AKEL and the entire Left in Europe is fighting and working for, and in particular the Group of the Left in the European Parliament, for all this “we will fight the European elections and in the front line we will have our six candidates: < strong> George, Anna, Stavris, Andros, Niazi, Melani. A strong group that represents in this battle the values, the principles, the priorities, the sensitivities of the Left and the entire progressive world”.
It should be reminded that the party's six MEP candidates are:
Giorgos Georgiou
Niazi Kizilyurek
Anna Theologu
Stavris Kalopsidiotis
Andros Karagiannis
Melani Steliou
This is his speech
I welcome all of you who are here today to the presentation of the candidates of the AKEL Left Social Alliance. And allow me to address a special greeting, a greeting from the heart, to our Turkish Cypriot compatriots who are with us to send the message that we will fight this battle together, for the common homeland, for the common vision of reunification and peace in our place.
Friends,
The European elections next June are taking place at a time when Europe is shaken by contradictions, contradictions and also by large popular mobilizations. Farmers from all over Europe – and in Cyprus – are protesting against European policies which, among other things, have led to the loss of 1/3 of the continent's agricultural units within 20 years. In Finland and Sweden, workers go on strike to protect collective agreements and trade union rights. In Greece, students fill the streets to defend public education. In France, women are protesting the dramatic increase in femicides and the inaction of institutions. In Germany, in recent weeks, the country's major cities have been rocked by massive demonstrations against the extreme right.
All this confirms that the peoples and societies of Europe are faced with different, but also with common problems. Problems that have their causes BOTH in the character AND the policies of the current European Union. But at the same time, all this confirms the relevance of our own vision, our own proposal, the different Europe we want and claim.
We want and claim the Europe of social justice, the modern social rights of workers, the new generation, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, that is, the whole world that earns its bread with its work and effort. But this is not the Europe we have today. Today, 95 million Europeans live at risk of poverty. And at the same time, the 5 richest people in the Union for two years have been increasing their wealth at a rate of 6 million euros per hour. And the banks in Europe – as of course in Cyprus – record record profits of all time, which are literally stealing from the economy and society on the backs of the European Central Bank.
However, the European Union insists on the same recipes that increase inequalities between European states and within European states, at a time when precision is compressing the living standards of peoples from one end to the other of the continent. They are even preparing to bring back austerity policies and draconian controls on governments, even though they know very well where they led in the previous decade. This, unfortunately, was decided only recently with the revision of the Economic Governance Framework, with the concurrence of both the Right and the Social Democracy.
But for us, there has always been and always will be another way. For us, a social Europe means a fundamentally fair Europe. Europe that serves the world of work, that unleashes growth for all, with respect for the environment. This is our vision for the future of our continent. A vision that we associate with our claims for today, for now, for people's needs in life, work, social security, education and health. All that the Cypriots, and the Spanish, and the Irish, and the Germans, and the Bulgarians and all the European workers are entitled to and deserve. We demand decent wages and pensions, permanent and full-time jobs, extension of collective labor agreements. Public investments that will ensure decent housing for all. Contemporary social policies and infrastructures for working parents. Cheap electricity and energy affordable for every household. Aggressive precision interception measures.
And let them not ask us where they will find the money for all this. Because the rulers here in Cyprus and throughout Europe know that there are solutions. What is lacking is the political will. Willingness, for example, to tax here and now – as AKEL requests daily – the super profits of banks and energy companies and with these revenues to finance major social programs for the societies of Europe and their needs.
All this outlines what AKEL's priorities are every day in the European Parliament, for 20 years. For example, others vote to give billions of euros for the development of military technology. AKEL, on the other hand, proposed – and managed to be approved – funding for pan-European research on pediatric cancer. Others vote against anything to do with labor rights. AKEL succeeded in having the position adopted by the European Parliament that young workers who work with an internship status in the EU member states should be paid decently and not work without pay.
We want a Europe of peace. And peace is not adding fuel to the fire of the war in Ukraine, as the European Union is doing, giving weapons worth tens of billions of euros to the Zelenskyi government. Is this how the war and the Russian invasion will end – as we are also asking – or will the conflict be perpetuated in this way, with the first victim being the people of Ukraine and all of Europe, for the benefit of the USA? In fact, a few days ago the leaders of the major political groups of the European Parliament – the Right to which DISY belongs, the Conservatives to which ELAM wants to join, the Social Democrats to which DIKO and EDEK belong, the Liberals to which DIPA belongs and the Greens to which the Environmentalists belong – in a joint statement they demand that the delivery of arms and ammunition to Ukraine be accelerated. Next June, we will vote whether we want these forces to continue to dominate the European Parliament.
While in Ukraine the EU shows itself hypersensitive in the case of the genocide perpetrated by the far-right government of Netanyahu against the Palestinians, the European leadership, first and foremost Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen closes its eyes and blows the whistle indifferently. A Europe of peace means a Europe that will undertake political and diplomatic initiatives for a ceasefire and peace, for respect for international law, for solidarity. A Europe of peace means freeing our continent from NATO. It means that the billions of euros that are currently being poured into the war industries should be spent on the needs of Europe's societies. This is what voting for AKEL and the Left in June will mean.
We want the Europe of democracy. And democracy is not decided behind closed doors by a European Central Bank that is not accountable to anyone. It is not democracy to deprive the European Parliament, the only directly elected body of the Union, of the right of legislative initiative. It is not the armies of lobbies who write European regulations and directives tailored to the interests of multinational giants and big industries. It is not the spyware and surveillance networks that are in the hands of European states and governments. Democracy – still – is not for the German government to decide for the entire European Union, or even for 3-4 governments and all the others to fall in line. This is why we boldly stand against the repeal of the veto that protects smaller states, such as Cyprus.
And it is certainly not democracy to come to terms with the conquest of Europe by the forces of the extreme right and fascism in the name of opinion polls and election results. After all, the Nazis also came to power through elections. But anyone who has opened even a history book knows what the next day will be like if the forces of hatred and racism dominate. Today it's immigrants and refugees, tomorrow the leftists, the day after tomorrow women, LGBTQI, people with disabilities and one day they will all be targeted and all of Europe in the dark. Especially our homeland, Cyprus, which is still paying for these ideologies, has no right to forget. However, in all the previous years, only AKEL refused the normalization of the extreme right and confronted its misanthropic rhetoric. Justifiably, of course, one will wonder how the rest of the extreme right could be opposed, since ELAM elected Anastasiadis, and Christodoulidis and Annita Dimitriou to their positions, confirming that, in practice, ELAM is his reserve Alarm. Now, before the elections, some people may wake up. But then again, what they haven't figured out yet is that the problem with the far right isn't that it's “stealing votes” from them. The problem is that it poisons society with hatred, with lies, with obscurantism. That is why AKEL invites every democratic citizen of Cyprus to join this great social alliance that we are building with yeast and leaven our faith in democracy and progress, in the values of solidarity and humanitarianism, in the unity of workers regardless of nationality , religion and language, ecology, respect for diversity and multiculturalism.
Friends,
AKEL and the entire Left in Europe, and especially the Group of the Left in the European Parliament, is fighting and working for all of this. For all this we will fight the European elections and in the front line we will have our six candidates: George, Anna, Stavris, Andros, Niazi, Melani. A strong group that represents in this battle the values, principles, priorities, sensibilities of the Left and the entire progressive world.
The ballot of AKEL Left Social Alliance therefore writes History, paves the way and looks to the future. Because it is a ballot paper, strong, with people who are capable, honest and ready to be a force to claim for our country and our people. Assertive power IN Europe, and FOR the Europe we want.
– Because our ballot, with three women and three men, breaks down invisible barriers and makes gender equality not just a slogan and a vision, but a policy in practice.
– Because our ballot is the choice for all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, for the whole world of reunification and solution. For all of us who will never settle for partition and occupation. Our candidates and tomorrow's MEPs are part of the Left Group which is the most consistent ally of Cyprus in the European Parliament.
– Because, finally, our ballot gives flesh and bones to the great alliance of the progressive forces of Cyprus that we are building with forces and people who do not come from AKEL, but come together with AKEL and the Left in this struggle, in this great effort we started to join forces. Let's march together, let's become together the great force, the great social alliance that will change things in Cyprus. A large social alliance that is a force of assertion. Which will also send messages to the government of Nikos Christodoulidis, who continues unabated on the path of Anastasiades, that they have a strong Left against them, which is essentially the only opposition in the country. They have a large social majority that insists that Cyprus deserved and deserves better.
Friends and friends,
The European, as well as the municipal elections next June, can become a milestone in political map of our country that will pave the way for overturning the associations and for greater changes. Changes that our country and people need.
That is why we enter this battle proud of our action, our positions and our people.
We enter in this battle united and determined.
With optimism and confidence.
With honesty and purity.
With consistency and seriousness.
With proposals and positions.
The Left knows how to fight battles and win them.
And it will win them.
