Surprising everyone, Nikos Anastasiou announced on 14 July that he was stepping down from the presidency of EDEK. He even switched off his mobile phone, leaving many questions unanswered. One month later, Anastasiou speaks to Politis about the reasons behind his decision.
"I had reached the point," he says, "where the whole situation had started affecting me psychologically and family-wise."
He also explains why he changed his mind on the night of the parliamentary elections, when news of his resignation had already leaked. He argues that the parliamentary election battle was lost from within and stresses that it would be a major mistake to exclude Sofia Christodoulou Makri from the upcoming race for the EDEK presidency. (The interview was conducted before all four candidacies for the EDEK presidency had been officially validated.)
What reasons led you to such a sudden resignation from the EDEK presidency?
My resignation was not as sudden as it appeared. It was a conscious decision that I took following a series of events. Let me remind you that the Extraordinary Pancyprian Congress had taken place, as had meetings of the conference document preparation committee and the Political Bureau.
Some decisions were taken at the congress. Unfortunately, the way the congress unfolded gave party officials the right to interpret those decisions as they saw fit. That is why everyone now comes out and says that they will fully respect the decisions of the Extraordinary Pancyprian Congress.
During the two meetings that followed the congress, it became clear to me that there was no real willingness for unity. My goal of moving forward united was not achievable. That was the final straw.
When you left, you stated that "instead of the knives being sheathed, they are being sharpened, with all that implies". Who were you referring to?
Yes, that was my conclusion. As I have mentioned before, there was a strong sense of who would prevail over whom, without self-criticism and without any accounting for what had happened.
You know, so many days have passed and nobody has accepted responsibility. Everyone is content to say that others are to blame, while excluding themselves.
Allow me to stop there and not name names. Besides, you can see them prominently featured every day on social media.
I will mention only one thing: if those prominent party figures who were part of the leadership of this historic party remained away from the limelight, and from frontline party activity, even for a short period, I am convinced that the party would find its way again.
Political Bureau
You resigned a day after the Political Bureau meeting. However, some argued that Nikos Nikolaides was responsible.
Yes, that is true, because it was precisely after the Political Bureau meeting that the intentions and way of thinking of all factions became apparent, and these were not positions I could unite.
It was not a matter of responsibility belonging to a single comrade. It is wrong to personalise it.
Was Marinos Sizopoulos present at the Political Bureau meeting?
Former MPs Marinos Sizopoulos and Ilias Myrianthous were invited to attend the Political Bureau meeting. We should not forget that I provided an extensive briefing on the national issue based on information I had received from the President of the Republic.
But, as I have already said, this was not about personalities.
Why did you switch off your mobile phone after resigning?
I had reached the stage where the whole situation had started affecting me psychologically and family-wise.
It was expected that journalists would seek information, and that hundreds of party members, whom I loved and who loved me, would try to persuade me to change my mind. Many of them did so publicly.
I took my decision late, but I firmly believe that nobody has all the right on their side and, as things were developing, I was in danger of becoming part of the problem myself.
Parliamentary Elections
On the night of the 24 May parliamentary elections, information leaked to the press that you had resigned. This was followed by a denial. What really happened?
It is true that I prepared my resignation because I wanted to take, as party president, the largest share of responsibility that belonged to me.
The defeat was a heavy one and I did not want, under any circumstances, to evade my own responsibilities.
When my fellow party members became aware of my intention, they urged me not to rush, since I could submit my resignation to the Central Committee instead.
After discussions, I was convinced that, for the ordinary EDEK member, my resignation would be another blow. Therefore, I agreed not to submit my resignation on election night.
Was the negative parliamentary election result due to internal sabotage? What went wrong?
Yes, I believe the battle was lost from within.
There were many who believed that if EDEK failed to enter parliament, they would be personally vindicated.
I received considerable information both before and after the elections that some individuals were systematically working either against the party or in favour of candidates from other parties, believing they would punish certain people.
In the end, they punished their own party. The final result clearly showed that, with a little effort, we could have been represented in parliament.
The late support shown by some comrades did not have the positive impact one might have expected, and this was reflected in the result.
Let me use Limassol as an example. Although it was expected that the involvement of Nikos Nikolaides and Marinos Sizopoulos during the election campaign would have positive results, our support dropped by almost 40%.
In my view, what went wrong was our failure to understand that we first had to save our own house before worrying about how to decorate it.
Cabinet Reshuffle
Is it true that after the elections you discussed the cabinet reshuffle with President Christodoulides and proposed the name of Ilias Myrianthous?
We should clarify that consultations about the cabinet reshuffle took place before the parliamentary elections.
At that time, I provided some names that the President of the Republic could potentially utilise and among them was the name of the Paphos MP, Ilias Myrianthous.
Extraordinary Congress
There was considerable discussion about the decisions of the Extraordinary Pancyprian Congress and the role of the conference and membership register review committee. What are the responsibilities of this committee?
I should say that this congress was convened with a specific agenda.
At the beginning of the congress, after my opening remarks, although I stressed that all delegates would have the opportunity to speak, some comrades, mainly younger members, driven by their spontaneity, wished to intervene before the speakers' list was opened, creating tension.
Fortunately, they heeded my calls and the interventions went ahead.
At one point, it became clear that the various contributions did not differ significantly from one another. It was therefore considered appropriate for a small group to prepare a document that would be presented as a consensus proposal to the congress, and this was done.
Unfortunately, while I was reading the agreed text and before I had completed the proposal, some people tried to interrupt me so that I would announce the names of the committee that would examine the list of members who would be excluded from future congresses.
I want to stress that everyone would have had the right to participate, provided they had been members of the party register since 2015.
The only exclusions would have been:
- Those who had been candidates for other parties.
- Those who had publicly supported candidates from other parties.
- Those who could be documented as having worked against the party during the 2026 parliamentary elections.
Due to the insistence that I announce the names before finishing all the proposals, I did so.
Unfortunately, when I later presented proposals concerning the constitutional and electoral congresses, the only committee that was ultimately established was the Credentials Committee.
The philosophy of that committee was entirely different from what had eventually been approved.
For the record, in the preparatory meeting it had been recorded as a conference document preparation group.
Minutes from the congress were circulated. Some claimed they had been altered.
As I mentioned earlier, it is understandable that the interruptions created ambiguities.
This is where everyone needs to rise to the occasion. We must set aside the negative aspects and build on the positive ones.
Internal elections
Four people are currently seeking the party presidency. Who do you consider most suitable to lead EDEK into the future?
I would like to wish all four comrades the best of luck.
My position as former president does not allow me to publicly support any particular candidate. They are all known, as is their track record.
Because I hear there is an intention to exclude Sofia, I believe that would be a major mistake.
In a democracy, nobody is expendable, even more so within EDEK.
How did your own name emerge in the 2025 internal party elections?
It was a circumstance that seemed to offer the prospect of avoiding yet another internal battle that would have had disastrous consequences.
Unfortunately, the outcome proved us wrong. We simply postponed the confrontation by a few months.
Do you regret your decision to take over the EDEK presidency?
No, quite the opposite.
Today I feel at peace with my conscience knowing that I did everything I could to save this historic party.
It was not enough. I hope the next person succeeds where I could not.
What message would you like to send to EDEK members who feel disappointed by the continuous internal conflicts?
History has assigned us the duty of fighting battles.
We must rise to the occasion and fight this one too by electing a new leadership, with comrades free of shadows and burdens.
With comrades who have served and continue to serve the party with integrity and selflessness.
