100th anniversary of the Communist Party of Cyprus -AKEL, 1926–2026: A century of sacrifices and struggles

24^th Congress Declaration marking the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of Cyprus-AKEL, 1926–2026:

A century of sacrifices and struggles

1.The 24th AKEL Congress salutes with deep respect the 100th anniversary of the Founding Congress of the Communist Party of Cyprus, held on 15 August 1926. This anniversary marks a milestone, as for the first time in our country’s history, the people of labour and toil had emerged on the arena of political action and asserting its role as a leading force in history.

1. The Founding Congress of the Communist Party of Cyprus (CPCy) marked a turning point in the political affairs of our country, as its decisions defined the character of the Left in Cyprus and charted its course. The CPCy and its militants heroically confronted the persecutions of colonial rule, the hostility of the establishment and the ruling class, and the deepest-rooted social prejudices. Yet they succeeded in kindling the flame of our great visions in our country too, and in laying the foundations of our Party. AKEL, taking up the baton from the CPCy, dramatically expanded its reach and influence amongst the Cypriot people. It became the dri ing force of the masses and established itself as the leading political force in the country, with a pioneering and strong presence in society and local communities, in social movements and trade unionism, and within state institutions, whilst at the same time enjoying high regard in Europe and around the world. The 24th Congress of AKEL looks back with pride on this century of its existence and struggles. It pays tribute, with gratitude and respect, to all the members and cadres of the Communist Party of Cyprus-AKEL which, over the course of this century, have faced enemies and opponents, assassinations, persecution, imprisonment, were driven underground twice, faced organised campaigns of slander, defeats and setbacks; yet not only did they not take a step back, but they forged the Party’s bonds and ties with the people. We honour the pioneering communists who sowed the seed in 1926 and watered it with the blood and sweat of heroic struggles and sacrifices. We honour the AKEL members and cadres who, over all these decades, have turned that seed into a deep-rooted tree, a powerful force for the people and our homeland.

2. From the moment of its founding, the Communist Party of Cyprus set as its mission of existence the just causes and rights of the people of labour and the poor, and thus became the founder, the mind and the soul of the worker’s movement, organising and inspiring the first workers’ struggles. The eight-hour day, social insurance, the Cost of Living Allowance, the right to organise, and all the gains, big and small, that have improved the lives of the working people of Cyprus bear the stamp of the Communist Party of Cyprus-AKEL, whilst popular achievements such as the co-operative movement were the result of the struggles waged by the Left and other progressive people. Our Party has managed to forge, in both theory and in practice, the alliance of the working class with the poor peasantry, the self-employed and the small and medium-sized business sectors, working women who are subject to double exploitation, pensioners and the unemployed. AKEL, as the party of all the working people of Cyprus, together with and alongside the class-based trade union movement, both inside and outside Parliament, is the force that continues today to be the voice and force of the people of labour, fighting for modern labour and social rights, for the re-establishment of the co-operative movement, and for groundbreaking social policies to support the lower and middle strata of our country.
3. The Founding Congress of the Communist Party of Cyprus set out the line of the unity between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in the struggle for freedom and livelihood, and this policy has governed the entire history, outlook, policy and action of our Party to this day. The common class-based organisation and struggle of the Cypriot working people, the fight against nationalism and chauvinism, the policy of rapprochement between the two communities – which is AKEL’s idea – the cultivation of a common Cypriot consciousness that unites all Cypriots and which coexists with the ethnic and cultural identities of the communities and religious groups in our country, and the defence of the bi-communal character of the Republic of Cyprus constitute fundamental aspects of the policy of the Communist Party of Cyprus-AKEL. The unity of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots has been, is, and will continue to be the guiding principle of the Cypriot Left in the coming century of its existence and struggle.
4. Throughout this century, the Communist Party of Cyprus-AKEL has – through its policies, struggles and sacrifices – imbued the struggle for the freedom of our homeland and people with a truly patriotic and anti-imperialist content, in confronting colonialism, the foreign interventions and foreign occupation. It was the first to raise the banner of the struggle to throw off the British colonial yoke when the domestic elite had compromised with the colonial administration. It took the lead in organising the mass political struggle against colonialism, with AKEL cadres and members suffering the first casualties of the anti-colonial struggle. It mobilised the people to defend Cyprus independence against NATO’s aggressive machinations. It defended the homeland against the Turkish raids of the 1960s and the Turkish invasion of 1974, demonstrating through the blood shed by dozens of its militants and members the true meaning of love for one’s homeland. At the same time, ever since the days of the Communist Party of Cyprus, the Party has championed the need to forge a united anti-colonial front – as it does now – and advocates the unity of forces in the struggle against the occupation, partition and nationalism, in pursuit of a solution on the agreed basis and within the agreed framework. An integral part of AKEL’s patriotic policy is the struggle against the presence of the foreign bases and foreign “guardians” on our homeland, as well as the consistent resistance to the plans to tie our country to NATO.
5. From the moment it emerged, the Communist Party of Cyprus clashed with the ignorance, religious obscurantism and social prejudices of the era, highlighting progressive and social values and demands. It introduced demands that were radical for their era, such as gender equality, the protection of maternity rights and the prohibition of child labour, free education, and the separation of Church and State. Throughout all these decades, our Party has stood in opposition to conservatism, the establishment and reactionary forces. It has given women and the young generation a place and a role, and stands alongside the women’s and youth movements in their struggle to secure the position they deserve in Cypriot society. Today, AKEL and the Left, as a major pole of the progressive movements, are at the forefront of struggles with assertions and actions for the modernisation and democratisation of our country at every level, for human rights and democratic freedoms, for the protection of minorities against discrimination and racism, for a democratic and people-centred education system, and for the radical changes that are demanded in the country’s state and institutions.
6. Since its foundation, our Party has inspired a love of culture, science and education amongst the working class and the people. It has provided a platform and a home for progressive thought and for many of the most distinguished figures in the fields of literature and the arts in our country. This is how the path and character of the Party – and, more broadly, of the mass organisations of the Left as the People’s Movement – came to be defined as a vibrant cradle of mass popular culture and sport in the country’s villages, districts and neighbourhoods, a tradition to which we are determined to breathe new life and give fresh impetus in the conditions of the 21st century.
7. The Communist Party of Cyprus-AKEL has sown among the working class and, more broadly, amongst the working people of Cyprus, the seeds of communist ideals and the socialist vision, internationalism, and a love of peace and democracy. Guided by these principles, the Party has been marching forward for a century, as a steadfast and serious force of principles and vision, fighting for the present and looking to a future in which society and the world fundamentally just and peaceful, free from all forms of exploitation: the society and a world of socialism.
8. We pay tribute and honour our comrades who gave their lives and shed their blood in the struggle for our ideas and ideals, for democracy and freedom. The Cypriot anti-fascist fighters of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War, those who fell in the anti-colonial struggle, the volunteers of the Second World War who answered the call issued by AKEL on 16 June 1943, which stands as the supreme expression of anti-fascism, internationalism and patriotism, the leaders of the Demobilisation Movement, our comrades murdered by Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot chauvinism and anti-communism, and the defenders of Democracy and Freedom who resisted the coup d’etat and the invasion in 1974.
9. The Party will honour this landmark anniversary with all the historical and political significance it carries, in a manner and with content befitting the occasion. This anniversary can and must serve as an opportunity for educational and self-educational work within the Party as a whole, as well as for encouraging – more broadly across the progressive spectrum – academic research, cultural and artistic creation concerning the history of the Communist Party of Cyprus–AKEL. It can and must also serve as an opportunity to take new steps in documenting the history of the people’s and social struggles waged in Cyprus, in bringing to light the true history of Cyprus, as well as the truth—suppressed by official historiography—regarding the Left’s contribution to our country.
10. At the same time, the Party’s centenary must serve as a landmark for collective ideological and political reflection on all that has emerged from our journey: our identity, our starting point, our milestones and our destination. On political dialectical thought and action, the revolutionary boldness but also the revolutionary composure that the Party has demonstrated whenever necessary. On the Party’s resilience in the face of all manner of enemies and trials, the likes of which no other force in this country has ever endured. On the work carried out amongst the people, alongside the people and for the people. On the lessons drawn from our mistakes and weaknesses along this journey. On the Party’s strength and courage in pursuing change, constant renewal and development. Above all, this centenary must first and foremost serve as a springboard for the future, for the new century of the Cypriot Left.
11. The 24th Congress of AKEL sends the message that we honour our 100-year history by continuing the struggle. AKEL enters the second century of the Cypriot Left’s existence with optimism, hope and determination. For Cyprus and the world we envisage.