Greens MP blasts party as she leaves it

Greens MP Alexandra Attalidou on Monday announced she was resigning from the party, slamming it for its ‘catastrophic’ position on the Cyprus problem and lack of unity with European greens.

“This decision is the result of a series of events [that] confirm that the Environmental Movement is at odds with the principles and values of the Greens of Europe which I unreservedly adopt as my own, and [this] leaves me no [alternative] but to depart,” Attalidou said.

In a strongly-worded statement, the MP listed six reasons for abandoning the party, among them its dead-end position on the Cyprus issue; unethical attacks by members of the party over her support of rights for same sex couples; and retaliation over her choice to support the candidacy of Andreas Mavroyiannis in the presidential elections.

Moreover, Attalidou said that the party’s lack of position in the recent presidential elections “contributed to the election of a politician who was widely seen as a continuation of the Anastasiades government.”

The MP said the image of the Christodoulides government to date “confirmed the wrongness of this particular choice.”

Regarding the Cyprus issue, Attalidou said she considered the party’s position a dead end, stating that this position has been overtaken by the events themselves.

“[The party’s positions] create no prospect for a solution, solidify the status quo, and put in danger the survival of the Cypriot people. By remaining, I would be an accomplice to a catastrophic course for the country,” Attalidou said.

Attalidou also referred to party positioning inconsistent with the Greens’ stated aims, such as supporting the building of fences “which inadvertently promote xenophobia and racism, and is not unrelated to events in Chlorakas and Limassol.”

She also took issue with legal regulation for large developments and glamping, a policy which she claimed endangers the environment and is contrary to ecological theory.

“The deafening silence of the party on such measures, unfortunately, can understandably be seen as endorsement,” Attalidou said.

She moreover criticised the party for its inability to offer a unified front on social and human rights issues, among them those concerning the LGBT+ community, saying that this created confusion as to whether the party stood for progressive or conservative principles that promote homophobia and xenophobia.

As a case in point, she noted reactions to the joint proposal she submitted with MP Charalambos Theopemptou for the rights of those in a civil partnership, including same sex couples, to adopt children.

Finally, Attalidou said her public support of Mavroyiannis as candidate for president, while officially permitted by the party, had been followed by a concerted indirect attempt to silence her, curtail her participation, and attack her dignity.

“Despite [these significant disagreements] I remained in the party for the past seven months and fought inside and outside of Parliament expecting – in accordance with assurances I had been given – a constructive debate to update the [party’s] positions,” Attalidou stated, adding that this was now a clearly unfeasible prospect.

“It is now obvious that such a discussion is unfeasible, since the [party] shows no intent towards openness to society, renewal and modernisation,” Attalidou said.

Instead of pioneering policies to broaden the public dialogue, some members seek positions simply for control, Attalidou charged.

“Remaining in the party has come into conflict with my personal values and with what I had promised to those who elected me,” Attalidou said.

“I assure the public I will continue to perform my duties in Parliament, oppose intolerant rhetoric [and] support the rights of every citizen, the modernising of institutions, and the reunification of the country,” the MP said.