EDEK party holds statutory congress amid internal leadership conflict

The EDEK party is convening a statutory congress today, October 25, 2026, at the Journalists' House in Nicosia. Under the leadership of Sofia Christodoulou-Makri, the event aims to reform internal operational rules, promote transparency, and finalize procedures ahead of the elective congress scheduled for December 12 and 13, 2026. Proposed changes include reducing the membership seniority requirement for voting rights from six months to one, and implementing age-based quotas for committees.

The congress is marked by the return of several former prominent members, including Dimitris Papadakis and Kostis Efstathiou, following the party's decision to unconditionally lift all previous expulsions. This reconciliation effort is intended to consolidate party forces after EDEK lost its parliamentary representation in the May elections.

However, the assembly proceeds under significant internal turmoil. Eleven members of the Political Bureau, aligned with former leader Marinos Sizopoulos, have contested the legitimacy of the congress. This conflict intensified recently following the dismissal of two professional staff members, leading a majority of the Political Bureau to accuse the new leadership of institutional misconduct. The congress serves as a critical test for the party's future stability as it prepares for the upcoming leadership elections.