AKEL launches campaign for “progressive change” ahead of Cyprus’s 2028 presidential elections

At a plenary session on 31 October, the Central Committee approved the political framework and roadmap for the electoral campaign, calling for the formation of a broad political and social alliance around a common programme.

In its statement following the meeting, AKEL stressed that progressive change must mean more than replacing the individuals in government. It must represent a change in the country’s political direction, addressing social inequalities, the cost-of-living and housing crises, workers’ rights, public services, corruption and Cyprus’s international role.

The Central Committee authorised the party leadership to begin contacts with other political forces, organised groups and prominent individuals with the aim of building alliances based on agreement over key policy questions. AKEL will also initiate discussions with its members, the Social Alliance and groups and personalities that have already aligned themselves with the party’s call for progressive change.

The party’s presidential candidate will be selected at a later stage through its collective decision-making procedures. A proposal will be submitted to an Extraordinary Pan-Cypriot Electoral Conference, which will choose the candidate considered capable of representing the proposed progressive cooperation.

A political programme centred on social and political change

Addressing the Central Committee, AKEL General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou argued that the 2028 elections should be approached as a political contest over whose interests government serves: the majority of society or a privileged minority.

Stefanou pointed to the contrast between economic growth and the everyday difficulties experienced by many households, including rising inequality, economic insecurity, poverty risks and the inability of young couples to afford housing or establish families. He attributed these problems to political choices made by successive governments, particularly those led by Nicos Anastasiades and the current administration of Nikos Christodoulides.

He also criticised the handling of the collapse and sale of the Cooperative banking sector, the weakening of workers’ rights, corruption and the concentration of wealth. In his assessment, the policies pursued by the Anastasiades and Christodoulides administrations have maintained the same political direction, despite differences between the political forces involved.

Alliances before the choice of candidate

Stefanou emphasised that AKEL would not pursue an exclusively party-centred electoral strategy. Instead, it intends to seek cooperation with other political and social forces around a common programme, arguing that such an alliance is necessary to achieve progressive change.

He acknowledged that building this cooperation would require negotiations and compromises, but insisted that agreement on substantive political positions must precede the selection of a candidate. The party leadership is therefore expected to begin exploratory contacts and discussions in the coming period, with the choice of a presidential candidate to follow once the political basis of the proposed alliance has been established.

The Central Committee’s decision marks the beginning of AKEL’s organised campaign for the 2028 elections. The party has called on people across the Left, as well as progressive and democratic forces in Cypriot society, to join the effort.

The decision also comes as AKEL approaches the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of Cyprus, from which the present party emerged. Stefanou referred to this history as a source of political responsibility, arguing that AKEL should continue to seek a role in governing the country in order to implement its proposed programme.