The Progressive Party of Working People (Greek: Ανορθωτικό Κόμμα Εργαζόμενου Λαού, ΑΚΕΛ, romanized: Anorthotikó Kómma Ergazómenou Laoú, AKEL; Turkish: Emekçi Halkın İlerici Partisi) is a Marxist-Leninist party in Cyprus.
AKEL is one of the two major parties in Cyprus, and it supports a federal solution of the internal aspect of the Cyprus problem and it places particular emphasis on rapprochement with the Turkish Cypriots. It supported entry into the European Union with certain reservations. Initially supportive of the Annan Plan in 2004, the AKEL ultimately opposed the plan because the UN Security Council did not provide guarantees on post-reunification security.
As a strong supporter of welfare benefits and nationalization, AKEL successfully put into practice several social measures to support the economic welfare of Cypriots during the Great Recession, such as increasing low pensions by 30% and strengthening the welfare benefits given to university students to €12 million per year. Overall, €1.2 billion were spent on welfare benefits during the first three years that AKEL was in power, with various improvements made in social welfare provision. The party has been in opposition since the 2013 election. The party's candidate was defeated in the 2018 presidential election against the incumbent president. For the 2023 presidential election, the party supported independent candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis, who was also defeated.
The party supports the formal recognition of same-sex couples and same-sex marriage, and opposes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Contents
History
It was founded in 1926 with the name Communist Party of Cyprus (KKK; Greek: Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Κύπρου, Turkish: Kıbrıs Komünist Partisi). The communist party set as its aim not only the struggle against exploitation, but also the independence of Cyprus from British rule. The party became illegal in 1931 when the British colonial government-imposed restrictions on civil rights following the Cyprus revolt riot. In 1941, leading members of the underground communist party and others founded the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL). In the first municipal elections in 1943 (before that mayors were appointed) AKEL candidates became mayors of Limassol (Ploutis Servas) and Famagusta (Adam Adamantos). At the 5th KKK congress in November 1944, the KKK and AKEL united into one party, the KKK was merged into AKEL.
Unlike its predecessor, AKEL was not against Enosis. Instead, AKEL supported a gradual process, starting off with a constitution and self-government, while Cyprus would remain a colony, leading to self-determination and Enosis. After the failure of the consultative assembly in 1949 to grant a constitution acceptable to the Cypriot members, AKEL changed line, supporting immediate Enosis with no intermediate stages.
During the late 1950s, AKEL was opposed to the violent tactics followed by the anti-British resistance movement of EOKA. EOKA accused AKEL of being collaborators with the British, even though AKEL had also been illegal since 1955. Several AKEL members were assassinated by EOKA at the time for being "traitors", including AKEL supporter Savas Menikou, who was stoned to death. AKEL denounced EOKA's leadership as being anti-communist, as its leader George Grivas had fought against the communist side during the Greek Civil War. Grivas later founded EOKA B, which supported the 1974 coup d'état following his death.
About 1958, the Turkish Cypriot nationalist organization TMT started forcing Turkish Cypriots members of AKEL to leave. Editor of a workers' newspaper Fazıl Önder was killed and the head of the Turkish bureau of PEO (AKEL's trade union) Ahmet Sadi moved to the UK to save his life.
In the first presidential elections for independent Cyprus, AKEL backed Ioannis Kliridis (father of Glafkos Klerides) against Makarios III. The last Turkish Cypriot to be a member of the central committee of AKEL, Derviş Ali Kavazoğlu, was killed by TMT in 1965.
Recent history
At the legislative elections on 27 May 2001, the party won 34.7% of the popular vote and 20 out of 56 seats. After this election, AKEL's General Secretary, Dimitris Christofias, was elected as President of the House of Representatives, serving in that post until 2006. His election was supported by AKEL, Movement for Social Democracy (EDEK), and the Democratic Party (DIKO).
AKEL is a member of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left political group in the European Parliament, and it is considered to be moderately Eurosceptic. Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, and in the 2004 European parliament election, AKEL elected two members (Adamos Adamou and Kyriacos Triantaphyllides).
AKEL remained the largest political party in the 2006 Cypriot legislative election; however, the party lost two seats, winning 18 seats with 31.31% of the vote.
In the second round presidential election held on 24 February 2008, Dimitris Christofias, General Secretary of AKEL, was elected President of Cyprus. Christofias won 53.36% of the vote against his right-wing opponent Ioannis Kasoulidis' 46.64%.
On 21 January 2009, Andros Kyprianou was elected general secretary of the party with 54.3% in the central committee election.
In the 2009 election to the European Parliament, AKEL received 34.9% of the votes, and again elected two out of Cyprus' six members (Kyriacos Triantaphyllides and Takis Hadjigeorgiou). In the 2014 election, they held their two seats with a reduced 27% of the vote.
In the 22 May 2011 legislative election AKEL received 32.67% of the votes, and elected 19 out of the 56 members of parliament.
In an interview with Athens News Agency, party leader Andros Kyprianou said that AKEL was considering Cyprus' exit from the eurozone, saying, "It is an option on the table", but that it will require "study and planning".
Youth
The party's youth wing is the United Democratic Youth Organisation, which was founded in 1959.
Controversies
Soviet Union and KGB connections
In October 2026, archives from the former Soviet Union and its state services (such as the KGB) and declassified files from the Central Intelligence Agency were uncovered as part of an investigation by Cypriot journalists (particularly SigmaLive), which showed proof of AKEL being used as a front by the Soviets to further its interests. This included weapons transfers, financial assisstance to the party and using AKEL students studying in the Soviet Union to launder cash. AKEL was used to further Soviet political aims which included, but are not limited to, termination of Western military base rights in Cyprus, preventing union between Greece and Cyprus, and not letting for the island to be fully integrated into NATO.
Political parties in Cyprus, including DISY and ELAM, heavily criticised and questioned the party for its actions. The press secretary of AKEL, Xaris Polycarpou, did not deny the allegations and as far as weapons were involved, he claimed that they were to be used to defend the Republic of Cyprus.
Election results
AKEL MEPs
2004–2009 Adamos Adamou
2004–2014 Kyriacos Triantaphyllides
2009–2019 Takis Hadjigeorgiou
2014–2019 Neoklis Sylikiotis
2019–2024 Niyazi Kızılyürek
2019–present Giorgos K. Georgiou
List of general secretaries
1936–1945 Ploutis Servas
1945–1949 Fifis Ioannou
1949–1988 Ezekias Papaioannou
1988–2009 Dimitris Christofias (6th President of the Republic of Cyprus)
2009–2021 Andros Kyprianou
2021–present Stefanos Stefanou