Dialogos

AKEL Secretary-General Responds to Irene Charalambidou's Statements

Published February 11, 2026, 09:04
AKEL Secretary-General Responds to Irene Charalambidou's Statements

The Secretary-General of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, responded to statements made by Irene Charalambidou regarding her removal from the parliamentary group and the party. Mr. Stefanou clarified that Ms. Charalambidou herself placed herself outside the party, as she continued to maintain contacts with other entities and promote alternative meetings, despite AKEL's efforts to collaborate. Mr. Stefanou emphasized the tolerance shown by AKEL towards Ms. Charalambidou, both in the past and recently, offering specific proposals to continue the cooperation. At the same time, he hinted at the stance of the MP in the Presidential Elections, as she did not support the candidacy of Andreas Mavroyiannis, contradicting the party's choices. Stefanou mentioned that Ms. Charalambidou participated in a meeting of the New Forces and submitted her own proposals, indicating her departure from the party line. He also expressed the view that AKEL could have achieved a better result in the Presidential Elections if everyone had rallied behind the Mavroyiannis candidacy. Despite the dissatisfaction caused by Ms. Charalambidou's stance after the elections, AKEL decided to continue cooperating with her. Mr. Stefanou assured that the party leadership exhausted all possibilities to maintain the cooperation, while reiterating AKEL's position that seats belong to parties and not to MPs.