Akel to vote on Sunday to ‘modernise’ party

Akel is to hold a statutory conference on Sunday with the aim of voting on changes to the party’s constitution, which members hope will modernise the party.

Among the changes are a proposal to have the party’s leader directly elected by its membership. At present, the leader is selected by the party’s central committee, with little to no input from rank-and-file members.

Additionally, there are proposals for Akel MPs and MEPs to be limited by party statute to a maximum of two terms in their respective roles.

Speaking on CyBC TV, party leader Stefanos Stefanou said the planned changes are aimed at improving the party’s relationship with wider society in the face of a string of electoral defeats.

The party has not finished in first place in any nationwide election since Demetris Christofias was elected President almost 16 years ago, in February 2008, though some commentators pointed to positive signs for the party in their embrace and endorsement of Andreas Mavroyiannis in this year’s presidential elections.

While Mavroyiannis was defeated in the runoff by Nikos Christodoulides, many see the defeat of Disy candidate Averof Neophytou in the first round as a relative success for a party which had become accustomed to losing elections.

With this blueprint in mind, it could be expected that candidates similar to Mavroyiannis, or as others have said, similar to George Vassiliou, a businessman and non-partisan elected president in 1988, may be endorsed by Akel in future elections.

This will be achieved through “a more structured process” in the way the party chooses who to endorse in future presidential elections, though the specifics of the process have not as yet been defined.

In addition, the party is launching a new logo, aimed at “sending the message that the party is looking to the future”.

A far cry from the famous hand holding a hammer against the backdrop of sheeves of wheat and a sunrise, the new logo consists solely of the party’s name in a dynamic red font, with the crossing of the ‘A’ and the upper side of the ‘K’ connected in a sunburst orange flash.

Underneath the logo is the party’s new logo is its new slogan, “with the eye on the future”.

Despite this move towards change, Akel will not vote on its ideological framework, even if the practicalities of their political action and the parameters set by Cyprus’ international obligations have long been divorced from the soul of that ideology.

In this sense, therefore, despite the modernisations, Akel’s self-identification as a Marxist-Leninist party is to remain.