Former Edek member wants to start new movement

Former Edek party member and MEP Demetris Papadakis said on Thursday that he is looking to start a new political movement based on social-democratic values.

According to Papadakis, his initiative to start the new movement started before the presidential elections in February 2023, and since then he has picked up pace.

He told Philenews that he is meeting with “everyone” including former Edek members, like him, who were either booted out of the party or distanced themselves from the group, plus other people, who espouse the similar values.

Papadakis said that his goal to take serious and steady steps, so that the effort can turn into a wake-up call.

He added that the social-democratic culture in Cyprus is not covered, and that the movement he is looking to create will focus on social justice and dealing with corruption, which is the demand of society.

The MEP said that if the whole effort bears fruit, a common framework of principles is expected to be submitted, which will also concern the Cyprus issue, underlining that regarding the latter issue, various approaches are accepted for discussion, except for extreme ones.

Two years ago, Papadakis was booted out from Edek inciting him to file a lawsuit with the Nicosia district court to annul the party’s decision to remove him.

Papadakis was ejected from Edek on grounds he had misused EU funds as an MEP and diverted them to a private business housed in the same office as his.

He was also accused of not upholding his pledge to Edek of donating 10 per cent of his salary as an MEP back to the party.

In 2021, passing their judgement the Nicosia District Court ruled that Papadakis had no obligation to pay part of his salary to the party.

The court said both terms of the agreement obligated the applicant (Papadakis) to finance or otherwise contribute to “aspirations of a political nature that are outside the terms of mandate of an MEP.”

Given that European Parliament regulations supersede national law – in this case Cypriot law – when it comes to how MEPs may dispense money paid to them, the court found that Papadakis was under no legal obligation to fulfill the agreement with Edek.