Party officials are accusing her of acting in a manner contrary to party rules, even as a power struggle unfolds behind the scenes
The long period of internal strife and conflict that kept EDEK out of Parliament in the last elections continues unabated. Sophia Christodoulou Makri is called upon to keep a storm-tossed ship as steady as possible until the party’s Electoral Congress in December. The waves keep coming one after another, the latest being the dismissal of two professional staff members and members of the Political Bureau. Their removal sparked a backlash from nine of the 21 members of the party’s Political Bureau, putting the new President in an even more difficult position. In an exchange of letters, the majority of the party’s Political Bureau accuses Ms. Makri of unconstitutional behavior, expressing “grave concern for the smooth functioning of the Political Bureau and the protection of the institutional order,” as well as for circumventing the party’s positions. This new storm comes at the worst possible time for EDEK, as today, Sunday, October 25, the party’s Statutory Congress is taking place, with significant statutory changes on the agenda, while in about two months the Electoral Congress will be held, at which the EDEK President will be elected for the next five years.
The constitutional amendments
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Having released a 44-page document outlining the proposed constitutional amendments, the new President has essentially paved the way for the return to leadership of expelled members who were once at the forefront of the party, such as Dimitris Papadakis and Kostis Efstathiou. One of Sofia Christodoulou Makri’s first decisions following her election was to rescind the expulsions of members, including the aforementioned officials. The party bylaws received by the new President stipulate that in order for someone to be eligible to run for the positions of President, Vice President, or Deputy President, they must have maintained a continuous and active presence in the party for the past five years. Based on the amendments to the bylaws, any member who has completed two years of continuous membership will now be eligible to run for the party’s top leadership positions. This would allow members who were expelled during the presidency of Marinos Sizopoulos and reinstated last September to run for a position at the top of the leadership hierarchy starting this coming December. The significance of this specific amendment to the party bylaws is reflected in recent statements made by Kostis Efstathiou on SPOR FM 95 and to Oriana Papantoniou last September, in which he did not rule out the possibility of running for the presidency of EDEK.
They communicate via letters and emails
Another constitutional change that reflects the rift is the provision abolishing the position of General Director. The position has been held since 2018 by one of Marinos Sizopoulos’s closest associates, Morfakis Solomonides, has held this position since 2018; reports indicate that he has not exchanged a single word with the new President, even though their offices within the party are literally just a stone’s throw apart. The same sources even suggest that the limited communication between Makri and Solomonidis takes place via letters and memos, while the party’s General Director is consistently absent from meetings held by the new President. The elimination of the position is also linked to the party’s need to reduce its expenses, as it is no longer represented in Parliament and therefore has reduced revenue. Directly related to this issue are the departures of the former Press Secretary, Giorgos Georgiou, and the General Organizer for Larnaca, Achilleas Malachouridis.
The Redundant Staff and the New Rift
The two redundant staff members were informed that they would be leaving at the beginning of the month, following two meetings of the Political Bureau, during which the issue of budget cuts was raised as an absolute necessity for EDEK’s financial survival. According to the party’s president, the decision regarding their removal rests with the Political Bureau, whose members include both Giorgos Georgiou and Achilleas Malachouridis. On the other hand, the two maintain that no decision has been made to remove them, citing their presence at the relevant meetings of the Political Bureau. The dispute is part of not only the party’s financial restructuring but also the conflict that has raged from the pre-election period to the present, and the resulting effort by Sofia Christodoulou Makri to consolidate her power within the party. As is well known, the two aforementioned individuals, as well as the General Director, Morfakis Solomonides, had supported Koullis Mavronikola’s candidacy amid an intense pre-election atmosphere that brought the conflict all the way to television studios.
Following the removal of Georgios Malachouridis—who now retain only their institutional roles—the internal strife that has cast a gloomy shadow over EDEK has resurfaced. The new conflict that came to light this week stems from the Political Bureau meeting that was scheduled for October 19. The meeting was canceled, with members being notified via a letter from the President on the morning of that same day. This followed a letter dated October 16 from 11 members—that is, the majority—in which Giorgos Georgiou, Vassos Dimitriou, Frida Gregoriadou, Marios Kyrou, Adonis Konstantinou, Achilleas Malachouridis, Dimitris Pavlidis, Evangelia Sizopoulou, Petros Stylianakis, Marios Hannidis, and Stelios Charalambous are raising issues of procedural order. They claim that they have not received meeting minutes, do not receive meeting agendas in a timely manner, and that both meetings of the Political Bureau included individuals who are members of Ms. Makri but are not members of the Political Bureau. Rumor has it that Dimitris Papadakis is one of the individuals who “behind the scenes” advise the new President.
The “reunification” caused annoyance
The 11 also express their annoyance at the reference to “reunification” regarding the solution to the Cyprus problem in the statement issued for the anniversary of Cyprus’s independence. At the same time, they allege that the political office was bypassed through an unofficial notification regarding the dismissal of salaried staff, despite the decision—as they report—to prioritize the removal of contract and retired staff and to reassess the situation. They also take issue with Ms. Makri regarding reports that she intended to propose Tassos Yiasemidis to AKEL as a candidate for President of the Republic in the event of cooperation between the two parties in the presidential election. This has been denied by both Ms. Makri herself and AKEL.
She herself, however, maintains at every opportunity that she is faithfully implementing the decisions of the Extraordinary Congress held this summer, which include, among other things, financial restructuring—part of which involves changes to the party’s organizational chart. In her reply, however, Ms. Makri referred the 11 members to express their views at the Statutory Congress, once again provoking their anger. In response, they accuse the President’s letter of “bordering on anti-party behavior,” charging that:
“• It is a prime example of anti-institutional behavior,
• It either demonstrates a lack of knowledge of basic party and statutory procedures, or constitutes a veiled admission of contempt for internal party order and democracy,
• It is riddled with inaccuracies,
• It exudes a threatening tone, which is unacceptable for competitiveness.”
The situation remains precarious within EDEK, even after the constitutional changes. With every action serving as a springboard for new disputes, conflicts, and mutual accusations, the road to the Electoral Convention is fraught with obstacles. Whether Ms. Makri manages to overcome them will determine the party’s future—if it has one.
