5-23-06, 8:43 am

Extract from the speech of the General Secretary of the CC of AKEL Demetris Christofias after the announcement of the results of the Parliamentary Elections in the Republic of Cyprus, 21 May 2006

The General Secretary of the CC of AKEL Demetris Christofias delivered his speech outside the building of the Central Committee of the Party where the members, voters and supporters of the Party had gathered for the announcement of the results of the Parliamentary Elections. The speech includes a preliminary evaluation of the electoral result. AKEL was, still remains and will continue to be the first party. It was and it remains a modern, democratic, communist party, the first one in Europe. Some people would like to believe that the position of AKEL on the referendum was the reason for the fall of the percentage of AKEL. It is not at all like that. The loss because of the referendum is very small, because the people of AKEL are content with the dialogue with their party. AKEL will remain devoted to the solution of bi-zonal bi-communal federation which will reconcile the Cypriot people, but at the same time it will safeguard that the landlord of this county are the Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots. We used to say that AKEL will remain powerful and first. And it has remained powerful and first, increasing the difference from DISI. The organisations of the Party will make a thorough evaluation of the result of the parliamentary elections in dialogue with the members of the Party. However, one of the reasons has to do with being in the government. The conditions of 1996 and 2001 (the previous parliamentary elections) were very different. Then, the voters of DIKO and EDEK turned to AKEL because they wanted to give a message to their parties which had both cooperated with DISI. Another reason is the accession to the EU, where things are harder for the simple people. So there is negative impact on people. AKEL had warned about issues like expensiveness, unemployment and the efforts to put into practice neo-liberal policies. The people of AKEL have created excessive expectations from the government and have laid the burden to their party, AKEL. However, the conditions under which the government operated were the adventurous attacks and invasions of imperialism, the increase in oil prices and the inheritance of 6,3% of public dept left by the DISI government. AKEL will remain the most powerful force which will support our efforts internationally for solution of bi-zonal, bi-communal federation which will function in the interest of Cypriots. As a matter of principle, AKEL will continue to fight for the rights of the working people and for the defence and vindication of new rights: Cost of Living Allowance, 14th pension etc. The Party faced many organisational and other problems in Limassol which we will analyse in depth and we will take measures for it. AKEL is the Party of the people because it has the youth with it. The youth is guileless and it should remain so, because capitalism tries through individualism, nepotism, drugs and various other vile things which constitute its ideology, to conquer the consciousnesses of young people. For us these elections constitute an important post for new struggles, new achievements. We will face the difficulties, we will face the adversities but we will remain the regulative factor in this country.

The General Secretary of AKEL congratulated all the political forces for the political ethos which have showed during the elections and called the people of AKEL to raise their head and make their analysis on the electoral result and not to get carried away by the 'deep and profound analyses' that will be heard.