Politis has obtained the letter at the center of the dispute between Larnaca MP Andreas Apostolou and the socialist party EDEK, which led to Apostolou announcing the end of his cooperation with the party.
The letter, sent by the party’s Central Committee Secretary Lefteris Andreou, informed Apostolou that under Article 37 of EDEK’s charter, he is ineligible to run for a leadership post because he has not yet completed five years as a registered member.
Apostolou: “I Didn’t Leave, They Pushed Me Out”
Apostolou, who was originally elected in 2021 under a cooperation deal between EDEK and the Citizens’ Alliance, announced on social media that the party had effectively forced him out.
He claimed EDEK’s decision to bar him from the June leadership elections amounted to ending their cooperation without consultation. “I am not resigning from the party. The decision for termination was taken without even discussing it with me. In essence, they expelled me,” Apostolou wrote.
EDEK Response: “He Was Never Expelled”
Party sources rejected the claim, telling Politis that EDEK had expected Apostolou to remain its candidate in Larnaca. They insisted the letter did not expel him but merely clarified that he was ineligible to contest leadership positions.
The official letter confirms Apostolou is a registered member but sets his entry date as October 24, 2021, the day EDEK formally absorbed the Citizens’ Alliance following the 2021 parliamentary elections. Under the charter, only members with five continuous years of active participation may seek leadership roles, making Apostolou eligible only after October 2026.
Political Maneuvering Behind the Scenes
The dispute comes amid speculation that Apostolou may join the Democratic Party (DIKO) ahead of the next parliamentary elections. Party insiders told Politis that he recently met with DIKO MP Christos Senekis and Larnaca district president Konstantinos Skepanidis at a local café, just days before his Facebook post announcing his rift with EDEK.
Meanwhile, EDEK’s Political Bureau has called an extraordinary meeting for 6:00 p.m. today, inviting Apostolou to attend.