Akel members approve ‘modernising’ party changes

Akel members have approved four changes to the party’s structure aimed at modernising the party.

With the relevant motions having been approved by a majority of the more than 1,000 members present at the party’s statutory conference on Sunday, the party leader will now be elected by the party’s congress rather than its central committee.

In addition, there will now be a hard limit of two terms for MPs and MEPs representing the party, and elected officials will now be banned from holding positions within party offices while also in public office.

Party members who are not on the party’s payroll will now also be required to make up 60 per cent of the party’s central committee.

Later, it is expected that the party will vote on a new procedure for deciding who the party will endorse at future Presidential elections, the abolition of the current vetting process for candidates, and a reduction in the number of candidates the central committee can nominate in elections.

The seven changes were formally introduced to the party’s congress by party leader Stefanos Stefanou on Sunday morning.

He told members that the proposed changes “result primarily from the need to respond to the new social reality which is forming around us and to the messages we are being sent from our own party base.”

He added that Akel “has no right to remain static and be overcome by the passage of time. It must correct its mistakes and weaknesses and boldly criticise itself, keeping pace with society and the times.”

“It must be modernised and renewed so that it can face new challenges and fight against anti-popular and anti-social policies,” he said.

He later said the changes are Akel’s opportunity to “renew its mandate for the next 100 years”.

“The main objective of these changes is to entrench our internal party democracy by strengthening the role and voice of our members in the discussion and decision-making processes inside our party,” he said.

Additionally, a video was shown at the beginning of the conference with messages from the general secretary of the Communist Party of Israel Adel Amer and the general secretary of the Palestinian People’s Party Bassam Salhi.

Palestinian Ambassador in Nicosia Abdullah Attari also featured on the video, speaking of the need for “an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the Israeli occupation”.