Nicosia, Cyprus. Akel MP Irene Charalambides said on Tuesday that her removal from the party’s parliamentary group was a unilateral decision by the party leadership and accused it of undermining her character to fit a partisan narrative. She said she has never sought to become an independent MP and will retain her parliamentary seat.
Charalambides rejects claim she chose to leave
In a public statement and subsequent social media posts, Charalambides said she had “never expressed a desire to become independent” and stressed she would keep her seat. “The decision to leave the parliamentary group was made by Akel’s leadership not I,” she said.
Strained relations linked to enforcement of term limits
The dispute follows months of strained relations between Charalambides and Akel after the party decided to enforce internal term limits ahead of the May parliamentary elections. Party rules revised in 2023 limit MPs to two terms, making Charalambides ineligible to run again on the party’s ticket as she is currently serving the third of three consecutive terms.
Talks on cooperation outside parliament stalled
Charalambides said discussions on continuing cooperation outside parliament did not progress despite two meetings with the leadership. She described the party’s proposal as “general and vague” and said it was not put in writing despite her request. “There was no evolution of this proposal in a five-month period,” she said, adding: “I asked for it to be put in writing after the last meeting, which did not happen.”
Personal issues cited in delays over future decisions
Charalambides said Akel pressed her for answers she was unable to provide, citing “very serious personal issues” that delayed decisions on her future political path.
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