AKEL General Secretary to run for President of the Republic

The Extraordinary Pancyprian Congress of left-wing AKEL party, decided to propose to the other two government coalition parties the candidacy of its own General Secretary Demetris Christofias for the presidential elections due February 2008.
Christofias’ candidacy received 1,447 votes from the 1,566 delegates present (92,7%) while 103 voted against (6,6%) and 11 abstained (0,7%).
The delegates approved the proposal submitted to them by the Central Committee of AKEL, Cyprus‘ main ruling coalition partner, “that the party suggests to the President of the Republic and the government partner parties the candidacy of AKEL’s General Secretary Demetris Christofias to lead the three party coalition alliance”.
The approval of the Central Committee’s proposal is expected to mark the end of the three-party coalition government, composing of AKEL, Democratic Party (DIKO) and Social Democrats Movement EDEK.
Addressing the Pancyprian Party Congress, Christofias said that AKEL would like to continue the cooperation with the other two coalition parties, but noted that if the party’s proposal is not accepted by DIKO and EDEK, then AKEL would have to run for the elections with its own candidate.
He noted that AKEL’s decision to propose its own candidate for the first time in its history constitutes a “democratic right of the party and its people who have been supporting for 47 years now other personalities, who most of the times have been elected presidents”.
But Christofias said that first and foremost, AKEL would continue to struggle for a just solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation and in line with the UN resolutions and the High Level Agreements of 1977 and 1979, for the benefit of all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots as well.
AKEL participates in the government with four Ministers, Foreign Minister George Lillikas, Transport Minister Harris Thrassou, Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis and Health Minister Charis Charalambous, who are expected to submit their resignations to the President of the Republic by Wednesday.
President of the Republic of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, is expected to announce his bid for re-election some days after AKEL announces its final decision.
The other government partner, Social Democrats Movement EDEK has already said it would back Papadopoulos, if he decides to run. The Democratic Party (DIKO), headed by Papadopoulos until recently, also decided to back Papadopoulos’ candidacy.
On June 13th, Cypriot Member of the European Parliament, Ioannis Kasoulides officially announced his decision to run for the presidency at the forthcoming elections of February 2008.
Kasoulides served as Foreign Minister and Government Spokesman between 1997-2003 in Glafcos Clerides’ government and is backed by the main opposition party, the Democratic Rally party (DISY).
The first to announce his candidacy was Costas Themistocleous, former Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment.
Other parties have yet to make up their final decisions on the matter.