AKEL gets parliamentary elections ball rolling

AKEL got the parliamentary elections off to a start on Saturday voting for the 20 people who would stand for seats in Nicosia.

Well known names include the party’s general secretary Andros Kyprianou, MPs Irene Charalambidou, Aristos Damianou, Stella Misiaouli, former government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou and Charis Charalambous, former health minister.

The ballot will also feature Athos Georgiou, Andreas Gregoriou, Christos Christofides, Panikos Hambas, Soulla Hadjikyriakou, Michalis Tsitsiekkos, Marios Hannides, Maria Danezi Pelecanou, Andri Demetriou, Loris Kyriakou, George Loucas, Kostas Skarparis, Constantinos Christodoulides and Ioannis Christodoulou.

Parliamentary elections are set to be held in May.

Kyprianou, who did not have to undergo a vote to appear on the ballot, commented on his invitation to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Turkey later this month saying it highlighted the recognition of the important role AKEL has.

The party’s general secretary, in his speech, also railed against the government saying the country is riddled with high unemployment rates, with thousands leaving the island and stricken with poverty, pondering why the current leadership is branding their work as a success.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.