COMMUNIST AKEL has beaten incumbent Tassos Papadopoulos to the punch, naming Demetris Christofias as a candidate for the three-way coalition in February’s presidential elections.
Drawing on the results of an internal party vote, AKEL’s Political Bureau yesterday said it would be recommending the Christofias nomination to its Central Committee, which convenes on July 4.
The Central Committee will then prepare a formal recommendation for the party’s extraordinary congress on July 8, which is to decide definitively on their strategy for the 2008 vote.
AKEL is bound by a resolution passed during its 20th congress, held in November 2005, to keep the three-way coalition intact. That doesn’t rule out the option of nominating a leftist leader for the alliance, however.
“The Political Bureau has decided today to propose… that the party present to the President and the coalition parties the candidacy of AKEL general-secretary Demetris Christofias,” said party spokesman Andros Kyprianou.
According to Kyprianou, a little over 77 per cent of AKEL grass roots wanted Christofias to lead the coalition, with just 19 per cent voting for a Papadopoulos nomination.
AKEL has clarified that the wishes of its grass roots are not binding on the party leadership. However, it seems unlikely the leadership would totally ignore their supporters.
Kyprianou said that, assuming the congress ratified Christofias’ nomination, AKEL would immediately commence contacts with its partners EDEK and DIKO.
“The decisions of the congress shall be unequivocal,” he added.
AKEL’s move is expected to jolt the presidential camp into action. Papadopoulos has announced his “intention” to stand for re-election, but has not officially announced his candidacy.
If Christofias takes on the communist mantle, Papadopoulos will either have to back down and join AKEL – an extremely unlikely scenario – or go it alone with the support of DIKO and the socialists.
A three-way race would certainly force the elections into a runoff. Judging by the 2006 legislative elections, DIKO and EDEK together should garner 27 per cent. But they could be joined by the European Democrats, adding a further 4 to 5 per cent.
AKEL’s strength was last measured at a little under 31 per cent, with opposition DISY having 30 per cent.
Under the three-way scenario, the contest is shaping up to be the closest ever. It will also be highly volatile, as the alliances of the first round could be turned on their heads in the runoff.
