Statements by the General Secretary of AKEL:
With the victory of A. Mavroyiannis, the wish for a “happy new year” can become a reality
Stefanos Stefanou and Seviros Koulas convey the message of progressive change
30 December 2022, ‘Dialogos’ portal
The train of change has set off with an important stop in February in the presidential election, the great journey of change for our country, people and for all you young people will begin.
This was the message sent by the General Secretary of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou, speaking at the traditional New Year’s Day gathering organised every year by EDON Youth organisation to herald the New Year, in the presence of independent candidate for the Presidency of the Republic Andreas Mavroyiannis too.
S.Stefanou pointed out that this year “we have the opportunity to make the wish for a happy new year come true and that it will be a really good year with the change we will achieve with the victory of A. Mavroyiannis in the presidential elections. The goals to save Cyprus from partition and solve the Cyprus problem, to address effectively and decisively corruption and entanglement, tackle social inequalities and economic insecurity, give hope and a perspective back to our and above all to you all, the young people, all occupy a prominent position in A. Mavroyiannis’ programme. This is our concern and struggle. This is the meaning of the change represented by the independent candidacy of A. Mavroyiannis, who is with us here today”.
Referring to the meeting with EDON youth, the General Secretary of AKEL noted that “we come here where the future lies” and that “our concern was, is and will remain your future, what we will leave behind for you”. He stressed in every direction that “we have no right to deliver our country divided and under occupation. We have no right to leave behind the great dangers that exist with the presence of Turkey’s occupying army.”
“That’s precisely why a solution to the Cyprus problem is an urgent necessity that will liberate and reunite our country and people, so that together, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots will co-manage our common state.”
“We are here to declare that we will continue the struggle, the effort and the work to address all those things that are happening on a socio-economic level that affect you first and foremost.”
Stefanos Stefanou also agreed with the point made by the General Secretary of EDON Seviros Koulas that “the way things are, if things do not change – and they will – young people will live worse than their fathers/mothers and grandfather/mothers did.
We have no right to allow that to happen. We do not have the right to let our country slide into corruption and entanglement which under this government has really risen to unprecedented levels, because you are all its victims too.
We do not have the right to let things continue with cronyism/clientelism and the transformation of the state into an instrument of the ruling DISY party.
Even more so, we do not have the right to let our country continue to be humiliated and disgraced internationally with the ‘golden’ passports, the black spy van and wiretapping/surveillance scandals.”
The Secretary General of AKEL congratulated the youth of EDON for their work, intervention and contribution, noting that this work is yielding results.
In a statement to the media that was present, the General Secretary of AKEL also stressed that “the wish for a happy new year can be given content with our own efforts, work and vote. Let us not forget that the New Year is entering with the presidential elections and everyone will be called upon to cast their vote in relation to how they see the present and future of our country developing.”
Stefanos Stefanou underlined that AKEL supports the independent candidacy of Andreas Mavroyiannis, an important part of whose programme is dedicated “to the young generation and all those people who need support, who need a welfare state, a fair state, a country that is not plagued by scandals, corruption and entanglement/interwoven interests, which during this government have all really assumed huge dimensions. Furthermore, our young generation and people need a solution that liberates and reunites the country and people.
This is precisely how we want to move towards the future and this is why we support the candidacy of Andreas Mavroyiannis. We believe that with the victory of A. Mavroyiannis in the elections we will open up the prospect of a promising, hopeful and peaceful future for all”.
