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EDEK Socialist Party

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EDEK Socialist Party
ΕΔΕΚ Σοσιαλιστικό Κόμμα
AbbreviationEDEK
LeaderMarinos Sizopoulos
FounderVasos Lyssaridis
Founded1969;55 years ago(1969)
HeadquartersNicosia
Student wingAGONAS
Youth wingEDEK Youth
Women's wingSocialist Women's Movement
Labour wingDEOK
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left
European affiliationParty of European Socialists
European Parliament groupProgressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
International affiliationProgressive Alliance
Socialist International
ColorsRed,Green, Gold
House of Representatives
3 / 56
European Parliament
0 / 6
Municipal Councils
27 / 443
Website
edek.org.cy

TheEDEK Socialist Party(Greek:ΕΔΕΚ Σοσιαλιστικό Κόμμα,romanized:EDEK Sosialistiko Komma,EDEK) is aGreek Cypriot nationalist,[3]social-democratic[4][1][2]political party in Cyprus.

Overview

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The party was founded byVassos Lyssaridesin 1969 as theUnited Democratic Centre Union, EDEK(Greek:Ενιαία Δημοκρατική Ένωση Κέντρου,romanized:Eniaia demokratiki enosi kentrou,ΕΔΕΚ). It was originally a strongly anti-imperialistdemocratic socialistparty with roots in the struggle againstBritish colonial rule,influenced by the philosophies of theAndreas Papandreouleft-wing faction withinGeorgios Papandreou'sCentre Union,[5][6]PASOK,[6]and the1968 movement.

EDEK, and Lyssarides personally, enjoyed very good relations withThird World socialistleaders and governments,[7]includingHafez AssadofSyria,Muammar Gaddafiof Libya[2]andGamal Abdel Nasserof Egypt.[3]

Since the early 1980s, EDEK has evolved into a European-style social-democratic party. It has however not given up its nationalist orientations.[8]The party changed its name to "Movement for Social Democracy" (Greek:Κίνημα Σοσιαλδημοκρατών) in 2000.[9]

EDEK is led byMarinos Sizopoulosand is a member of theParty of European SocialistsandSocialist International.

History

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Formation and early years

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Members were drawn from the committee for re-establishment of democracy in Greece, and fighters fromLyssaridis's group during the 1964 clashes betweenGreekandTurkish Cypriots.Lyssaridis was the personal physician of ArchbishopMakarios III,the first president of independent Cyprus, whom the party supported. The party's name was inspired by Greek'sCentre Union(EK) ofGeorgios Papandreou.It positioned itself in "the space inbetween" (neither left nor right).[10]EDEK had links to the internationalNon-Aligned Movementand was opposed to the right-wingColonels' regime in Greece.[11]Many of the party's members were part of the armed resistance to the15 July 1974 coupagainst Makarios. The leader of the youth section of the party,Doros Loizou,was shot and killed inan attempt to murder Lyssaridisin August 1974.

Several members of the party's youth section (EDEN) withTrotskyisttendencies were expelled between 1979 and 1984, who then formed Aristeri Pteryga (Left Wing).[12]

During the late 1990s, EDEK negotiated with several minor parties, planning to merge all political forces between the communist AKEL and the conservative DISY into a major centrist party. It merged with two small groups, the Renewal Movement and the Independent Personalities Group, in February 2000. This was marked by its name change to "Movement for Social Democracy" (KISOS), which was also intended to bring the party closer to European social democratic parties in terms of both values and appearance. However, only two months after the merger, the members of the Renewal Movement left, citing a "lack of trust" vis-à-vis old EDEK members. Therefore, basically "the new KISOS was the old EDEK".[9]

21st century

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In the2001 general electionsEDEK won 6.5% of the votes cast and 4 of the 56 seats in theHouse of Representatives of Cyprus.EDEK was one of the most outspoken opponents of theAnnan Plan for the reunification of Cyprus,which was voted on, and ultimately rejected by the Greek Cypriot community in the2004 referendum.[13]In theelections of 21 May 2006,the first since the referendum, the party increased its vote share to 8.9%, and won 5 out of 56 seats.

EDEK backedDimitris Christofiasof theProgressive Party of Working People(AKEL) in the second round of theFebruary 2008 presidential election.On the proposal of EDEK's Political Bureau, 109 members of its Central Committee voted in favor of supportingChristofias,five voted against, and two abstained.[14]In February 2010 EDEK quit from the government coalition due to its dispute concerning the decisions ofDimitris Christofiasin the Cyprus Problem.[15][16]

The party leader,Yiannakis Omirou,was elected as President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, following the2011 general elections,in which EDEK obtained 8.93% of the votes and five seats in Parliament.

In theFebruary 2013 presidential election,EDEK backed the independent candidateYiorgos Lillikas.The former minister of foreign affairs inTassos Papadopoulos' cabinet. In the second round, EDEK decided not to back any other candidate, neither the DISY candidateNicos Anastasiades,or AKEL candidate Stavros Malas.

In January 2015, House PresidentYiannakis Omirouresigned from EDEK's leadership. In March he was succeeded by his deputyMarinos Sizopoulos.[17]

In November 2022, the party's name was changed to EDEK Socialist Party.[18]

Election results

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Parliament

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House of Representatives
Election Votes Seats
# % Rank # ±
1970 12,996 8.3 4th new
1976 WithDIKOandAKEL Increase2
1981 23,772 8.2 4th Decrease1
1985 35,371 11.1 4th Increase3
1991 37,264 10.9 4th Increase1
1996 30,033 8.1 4th Decrease2
2001 26,767 6.5 4th Decrease1
2006 37,533 8.9 4th Increase1
2011 36,113 8.9 4th Steady0
2016 21,732 6.2 4th Decrease2
2021[a] 24,022 6.7 5th Increase1

European Parliament

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European Parliament
Election Votes Seats
# % Rank # ±
2004 36,075 10.79 5th new
2009 30,169 9.85 4th Increase1
2014[b] 19,894 7.68% 4th Steady0
2019 29,715 10.58 4th Steady0
2024 18,681 5.07 6th Decrease1
  1. ^Run withCitizens' Alliance.
  2. ^Run withMovement of Ecologists – Citizens' Cooperation.

Presidents of the Movement

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References

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  1. ^abNordsieck, Wolfram (2016)."Cyprus".Parties and Elections in Europe.
  2. ^abcHayriye Kahveci (2013).Cyprus.Palgrave Macmillan. p. 71.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  3. ^abcAndrekos Varnava;Christalla Yakinthou (2011).Cyprus: Political Modernity and the Structures of Democracy in a Divided Island.Oxford University Press. p. 469.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  4. ^"Εδεκ - Κινημα Σοσιαλδημοκρατων".
  5. ^"The United Democratic Union of the Center (EDEK)".12 May 2020.Retrieved10 October2023.
  6. ^abParty-Society Relations in the Republic of Cyprus.2013. p. 86.ISBN9781317386575.
  7. ^Giorgos Charalambous (2015).The Party Politics of the Problem Resolving Cyprus: New Approaches to Conflict Resolution.I.B. Tauris. p. 50.
  8. ^Christophoros Christophorou (2009).The Evolution of Greek Cypriot Party Politics.Peter Lang. p. 103.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  9. ^abHayriye Kahveci (2013).Cyprus.Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 71–72.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  10. ^Christophoros Christophorou (2009).The Evolution of Greek Cypriot Party Politics.Peter Lang. p. 90.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  11. ^Christophoros Christophorou (2009).The Evolution of Greek Cypriot Party Politics.Peter Lang. p. 89.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  12. ^Mirbagheri, Farid; Solomou, Emilios A. (2021).Historical Dictionary of Cyprus.London, United Kingdom: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 138.ISBN9781538111581.
  13. ^Christophoros Christophorou (2009).The Evolution of Greek Cypriot Party Politics.Peter Lang. p. 97.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  14. ^"Cyprus Socialists supports Christofias's candidacy"[permanent dead link],Financial Mirror,February 21, 2008.
  15. ^Nikos Chasapopoulos (2010-02-09).Τριγμοί στην κυβέρνηση Χριστόφια - Αποχώρησε η ΕΔΕΚ(in Greek). To Vima.Retrieved2010-08-03.
  16. ^"EDEK withdraws from Cyprus government coalition".FinancialMirror. 2010-02-09.Retrieved2010-08-03.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^"CYPRUS: Socialists elect new leader, aim for 2016 elections".Financial Mirror.2 March 2015.
  18. ^"Άλλαξε (ξανά) όνομα η ΕΔΕΚ"[EDEK changed its name (again)].Reporter.18 November 2022.
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