Progressive Party of Working People explained

Country:Cyprus
Progressive Party of Working People
Native Name:Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ανορθωτικό Κόμμα Εργαζόμενου Λαού
Turkish: Emekçi Halkın İlerici Partisi
Colours: Red
Abbreviation:ΑΚΕΛ
AKEL
General Secretary:Stefanos Stefanou[1]
Colorcode:
  1. B31B1B
Student Wing:KKF Progressive
Youth Wing:EDON
Womens Wing:POGO
Wing1 Title:Labour wing
Wing1:PEO
Newspaper:Haravgi
Headquarters:Nicosia
International:IMCWP
European:Party of the European Left (observer)
Europarl:The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL
Seats1 Title:House of Representatives
Seats2 Title:European Parliament
Seats3 Title:Municipal Councils

The Progressive Party of Working People (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ανορθωτικό Κόμμα Εργαζόμενου Λαού, ; ΑΚΕΛ or AKEL; Turkish: Emekçi Halkın İlerici Partisi) is a Marxist–Leninist[2] communist party in Cyprus.

AKEL is one of the two major parties in Cyprus, and it supports a federal solution of the internal aspect of the Cyprus problem and it places particular emphasis on rapprochement with the Turkish Cypriots. It supported entry into the European Union with certain reservations. Initially supportive of the Annan Plan in 2004, the AKEL ultimately opposed the plan because the UN Security Council did not provide guarantees on post-reunification security.[3]

As a strong supporter of welfare benefits and nationalization, AKEL successfully put into practice several social measures to support the economic welfare of Cypriots during the late-2000s financial crisis, such as increasing low pensions by 30% and strengthening the welfare benefits given to university students to €12 million per year. Overall, €1.2 billion were spent on welfare benefits during the first three years that AKEL was in power, with various improvements made in social welfare provision.[4] [5] The party has been in opposition since the 2013 election. The party's candidate was defeated in the 2018 presidential election against the incumbent president. For the 2023 presidential election, the party supported independent candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis, who was also defeated.[6]

History

It was founded in 1926 with the name Communist Party of Cyprus (CPC;,). The communist party set as its aim not only the struggle against exploitation, but also the independence of Cyprus from British rule. The party became illegal in 1931 when the British colonial government-imposed restrictions on civil rights following the Cyprus revolt riot. In 1941, leading members of the underground communist party and others founded AKEL. In the first municipal elections in 1943 (before that mayors were appointed) AKEL candidates became mayors of Limassol (Ploutis Servas) and Famagusta (Adam Adamantos).

Unlike its predecessor, AKEL was not against Enosis. Instead, AKEL supported a gradual process, starting off with a constitution and self-government, while Cyprus would remain a colony, leading to self-determination and Enosis. After the failure of the consultative assembly in 1949 to grant a constitution acceptable to the Cypriot members, AKEL changed line, supporting immediate Enosis with no intermediate stages.

During the late 1950s, AKEL was opposed to the violent tactics followed by the anti-British resistance movement of EOKA. EOKA accused AKEL of being collaborators with the British, even though AKEL had also been illegal since 1955. Several AKEL members were assassinated by EOKA at the time for being "traitors", including AKEL supporter Savas Menikou, who was stoned to death. AKEL denounced EOKA's leadership as being anti-communist, as its leader George Grivas had fought against the communist side during the Greek Civil War. Grivas later founded EOKA B, which supported the 1974 coup d'état following his death.

About 1958, the Turkish Cypriot nationalist organization TMT started forcing Turkish Cypriots members of AKEL to leave. Editor of a workers' newspaper Fazıl Önder was killed and the head of the Turkish bureau of PEO (AKEL's trade union) Ahmet Sadi moved to the UK to save his life.

In the first presidential elections for independent Cyprus, AKEL backed Ioannis Kliridis (father of Glafkos Klerides) against Makarios III. The last Turkish Cypriot to be a member of the central committee of AKEL, Derviş Ali Kavazoğlu, was killed by TMT in 1965.

In the mid 1960s the U.S. State Department estimated the party membership to be approximately 10,000 (3.25% of the working age population).[7]

Recent history

At the legislative elections on 27 May 2001, the party won 34.7% of the popular vote and 20 out of 56 seats. After this election, AKEL's General Secretary, Dimitris Christofias, was elected as President of the House of Representatives, serving in that post until 2006. His election was supported by AKEL, Movement for Social Democracy (EDEK), and the Democratic Party (DIKO).

AKEL is a member of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left political group in the European Parliament, and it is considered to be moderately eurosceptic. Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, and in the 2004 European parliament election, AKEL elected two members (Adamos Adamou and Kyriacos Triantaphyllides).

AKEL remained the largest political party in the 2006 legislative elections; however, the party lost two seats, winning 18 seats with 31.31% of the vote.

In the second round presidential election held on 24 February 2008, Dimitris Christofias, General Secretary of AKEL, was elected President of Cyprus. Christofias won 53.36% of the vote against his right-wing opponent Ioannis Kasoulidis' 46.64%.[8]

On 21 January 2009, Andros Kyprianou was elected general secretary of the party with 54.3% in the central committee election.

In the 2009 election to the European Parliament, AKEL received 34.9% of the votes, and again elected two out of Cyprus' six members (Kyriacos Triantaphyllides and Takis Hadjigeorgiou). In the 2014 election, they held their two seats with a reduced 27% of the vote.

In the 22 May 2011 legislative election AKEL received 32.67% of the votes, and elected 19 out of the 56 members of parliament.[9]

In an interview with Athens News Agency, party leader Andros Kyprianou said that AKEL was considering Cyprus' exit from the eurozone, saying, "It is an option on the table", but that it will require "study and planning".[10]

In the 2013 presidential election, Stavros Malas, who was supported by AKEL lost by a margin of 42.52% to 57.48%.[11] In the 2018 presidential election, conservative president Nicos Anastasiades won a second five-year term with 56 percent of the vote. The AKEL-backed independent candidate, Stavros Malas, lost the election with 44 percent.[12]

In 2016 legislative election AKEL was the second largest party with 25.7 percent of the vote, 7 percent less than the previous election.[13]

Niyazi Kızılyürek was elected to the European Parliament in 2019 for AKEL, making him the first Turkish-Cypriot to enter the European Parliament and thus breaking what was considered a taboo on the island. AKEL advocates the creation of a federal state in which Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots would live together.[14]

Youth

The party's youth wing is the United Democratic Youth Organisation, which was founded in 1959.

Election results

Parliament

Election! colspan=3
VotesSeats
%Rank±
196051,71935.02ndnew
197068,22934.11st 4
1976With DIKO and EDEK 0
198195,36432.81st 3
198587,62827.43rd 3
1991104,77130.62nd 3
1996121,95833.02nd 1
2001142,64834.71st 1
2006131,23731.11st 2
2011132,17132.72nd 1
201690,20425.72nd 3
202179,91322.32nd 1

European Parliament

Election! colspan=3
VotesSeats
%Rank±
200493,21227.92ndnew
2009106,92234.92nd 0
201469,85227.02nd 0
201977.24127.52nd 0
202479,16321.52nd 1

Presidential Elections

Year! rowspan="2"
CandidatePhotograph1st Round2nd RoundElected
Votes%ResultVotes%Result
1959Ioannis Clerides(Democratic Union)71,75333.2Lost in first round
1968Archbishop Makarios III(Independent)220,91196.3Elected in first round
1973no opponent
1978Spyros Kyprianou(Democratic Party)no opponent
1983173,79156.5Elected in first round
1988George Vassiliou(Independent)100,74830.1167,83451.6
1993157,02744.2176,76949.7
1998George Iacovou (Independent)160,91840.6200,22249.2
2003Tassos Papadopoulos(Democratic Party)213,35351.5Elected in first round
2008Demetris Christofias150,01633.3240,60453.4
2013Stavros Malas118,75526.9175,26742.5
2018116,92030.2169,24344.0
2023Andreas Mavroyiannis(Independent)117,55129.6189,33548.0

AKEL MPs

AKEL MEPs

List of general secretaries

References

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Kades . Andria . Stephanos Stephanou elected as Akel's new secretary-general with 72% of votes . . 4 July 2021 .
  2. Helena Smith, Cyprus gets ready for a communist 'takeover', The Guardian, 2008
  3. Web site: Greek Cypriot leaders reject Annan plan . Wright . George . 22 April 2004 . . 1 November 2019 . The AKEL communist party had earlier suggested it might throw its weight behind the Annan plan and help turn around the widespread antipathy of the Greek-Cypriot south. But today its leadership said it had decided to oppose the plan because the UN security council had not provided guarantees on post-reunification security..
  4. Web site: Annual report 2011 . 27 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131215212916/http://socialprotection.eu/files_db/1100/asisp_ANR11_Cyprus.pdf . 15 December 2013 .
  5. Web site: Annual report 2010 . 27 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131215214049/http://socialprotection.eu/files_db/886/asisp_ANR10_Cyprus.pdf . 15 December 2013 .
  6. Web site: Cyprus ex-foreign minister Christodoulides elected president . 12 February 2023 .
  7. Benjamin, Roger W.; Kautsky, John H. "Communism and Economic Development", in The American Political Science Review, volume 62, number 1, March 1968, page 122.
  8. News: Cypriot victor rallies for unity. BBC News. 24 February 2008.
  9. https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/f/c/82242.pdf
  10. Web site: Aνησυχεί το ΑΚΕΛ για την πορεία της Ε.Ε.. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/ofYEg9jWKek . 21 December 2021 . live. 3 April 2013. YouTube. 24 February 2015.
  11. News: Cyprus election: Nicos Anastasiades elected president. BBC News. 25 February 2013.
  12. Web site: Celebrations as Cypriot president wins re-election.
  13. News: Cyprus parliamentary vote puts far-right in parliament. Reuters. 22 May 2016. Kambas. Michele.
  14. Web site: Cyprus elects first Turkish Cypriot to European Parliament.
  15. Web site: 21 January 2009 . Ο νέος ΓΓ του ΑΚΕΛ (3) « Faros's Weblog . 17 June 2010 . Faros.wordpress.com.