AKEL MP Irene Charalambidou has explained why she rejected a proposal by Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) to head an anti-corruption observatory, describing the initiative as institutionally flawed and politically problematic.
Speaking on Politis Radio, Charalambidou said the proposal concerned an observatory that does not exist, with no defined operating framework, budget or institutional standing.
A proposal without institutional grounding
Charalambidou said the suggestion put forward by AKEL was vague and lacked the necessary safeguards to ensure independence and effectiveness.
She argued that an anti-corruption observatory without legal status or clear competencies could not function meaningfully and risked being easily sidelined.
Corruption must remain outside party structures
The MP stressed that her work on corruption issues has taken on an international dimension through her role in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, noting that cooperation with major international organisations depends precisely on her institutional and non-partisan capacity.
“Under no circumstances can issues of combating corruption be placed under a party umbrella,” she said, adding that credibility in this field relies on independence from party mechanisms.
Responding to criticism that she is, nevertheless, a party MP, Charalambidou said she has repeatedly taken independent positions and has never participated in collective party bodies.
“I did not participate in party collective organs all these years and I cannot suddenly find myself heading an observatory as a paid position within a party mechanism,” she said.
Warning over parliamentary oversight
Charalambidou also linked her decision to the broader political climate, arguing that the core of democracy, parliamentary oversight, is currently under strain.
She referred to opinions by the attorney general that, she said, restrict parliament’s access to information, including in cases related to the so-called golden passports.
“When parliament itself is not taken into account, let alone a party office that can easily be ignored,” she said.
Future role and internal party tensions
The MP said she does not believe she has the right to withdraw from public life without a popular mandate, leaving open the possibility of seeking re-election to parliament.
At the same time, she expressed pessimism about reaching common ground with the AKEL leadership, saying the choices presented to her amount either to accepting a role that limits her public intervention or withdrawing from active political engagement.
Addressing internal party discussions on term limits and exemptions, Charalambidou spoke of misinformation, claiming that AKEL reversed its own rules by granting exemptions based on party hierarchy rather than parliamentary work or electoral support.
“I am a free person and I will act according to my conscience,” she said.