Nicosia, Cyprus. Edek leader Nikos Anastasiou urged supporters on Wednesday night to rally behind the party in the final stage of the election campaign, describing the vote as a defining moment over “which Cyprus the people want”.
Call for mobilisation
Speaking at an event in Nicosia, Anastasiou appealed to “every patriot, every democrat, every person who refuses to compromise with fatalism,” saying Edek was seeking not only votes but renewed political strength.
He said Edek was returning to a central role in public life because “it is part of the history of this place,” adding that “the time has come to raise the flag high again” and to show that “no one can erase Edek from the present and future of Cyprus.”
Party identity and founding legacy
Anastasiou linked the party’s identity to its founding legacy, describing Edek as “the political heirs of Vasos Lyssarides,” and said the movement was built on principles that reject compromise on values.
Lyssarides, who founded Edek in 1969, was the enforcer of former president Archbishop Makarios’ loyalist paramilitary force, the ‘Red Berets’ (Kokkinoskoufides), who were deployed against both Eoka B and the Turkish Cypriot insurgencies in the Pentadaktylos mountains during intercommunal conflict in the 1960s.
“Politics without principles has no value. Dignity is not for sale. Cyprus shall not be surrendered,” Anastasiou said.
Criticism of political messaging
Anastasiou criticised what he described as political messaging that sought to dismiss ideological commitments, saying the party would respond to those “who want to convince the world that history is over, that values have been surpassed, that politics has become a game of power without ideals.”
Policy priorities and Cyprus issue
He set out policy priorities including housing affordability, pensions, and support for the middle class, describing them as part of what he called both a social and national struggle.
On the Cyprus issue, he reiterated the party’s position calling for the “withdrawal of Turkish troops and settlers”, as well as changes to guarantees and intervention rights, saying “any settlement must safeguard the fundamental freedoms of the European Union.”
Attendance by cabinet minister
The event was also attended by Edek’s only cabinet member in the present government, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou.
How do you assess Edek’s priorities as the election campaign enters its final stage?