Greens to take a stance on presidential election in two weeks

Re-elected Greens leader Charalambos Theopemptou said on Monday that the party needs another two weeks to decide its course for the upcoming presidential elections.

Theopemptou was on Sunday re-elected but said on Monday the party needs about 15 days to decide policy related issues and chart its course forward.

He said that the time is needed due to such decisions being made by the party organ’s rather than the leader alone.

The party election was finally held over the weekend following two delays. In December, the Greens had to postpone electing a new leadership – for the second time in two months – after an insufficient number of members showed up to render the proceedings valid.

In the May 2021 legislative elections the Greens – formally known as the ‘Movement of Ecologists – Citizens’ Cooperation’ – garnered 15,762 votes or 4.41 per cent. That earned them three seats in parliament – one more than in the previous elections of 2016.

The party – founded in 1996 – defines its ideology as ‘Green politics and social democracy’.

In his speech to the party on Sunday Theopemptou, who took over leadership of the party in late 2020, said preparation for the next parliamentary elections on 2024 should also be something looked at the soonest.

“In the next ten years, everyone will turn to us,” he said, referring to the global pivot towards climate and environmental policies.

“That is why now more than ever we need to prepare, to acquire knowledge and work together to upgrade the movement and its institutions, to prepare our people to be able to go out with knowledge and green policies, to make our party great “.