He gave an interview to Famagusta.News o Candidate MP with Solidarity in Famagusta, Alexis Konstantinou.
Through 8 questions, he gives his own answers about his candidacy, his views and his message to the world.
Read in detail:
Why did you decide to run in the upcoming Parliamentary Elections?
My involvement with the public started from my student age, continued during my student life and since 2002 I have been closely involved in the neighborhood events of the Greek Cypriots, participating in the governing bodies of the Hellenic Cypriot Union, the Federation of Greek Cypriot Organizations and holding positions of responsibility, while also actively participating in the global pro-Cypriot movement of the Diaspora.
My guide has always been to contribute to solving the problems of my compatriots, starting solely from the love I have for my special homeland Cyprus.
From the position of a struggling Lawyer but also during my academic career, my goal is always to serve my fellow man, to contribute to society, to serve Justice, social cohesion, honesty, solidarity, transparency and accountability.
I firmly believe that now the crew of the year has come to use this very mood of my offer in my beloved homeland Cyprus, my province of origin Famagusta and my fellow citizens.
This is exactly the thought that led me to the decision to rise for the first time in the central political arena of our country, claiming the vote for the position of Member of Parliament for Famagusta, as I bring the experience of refugee Varosiotis from a fetus, but I grew up with Famagusta deeply rooted in my soul, listening and learning about a city that unfortunately fate did not allow me to meet !!!!
In this city, my compatriots and fellow citizens, I unwaveringly aspire to expend all my strength, driven by pure democratic patriotism to fight for the rights of our people and for Hellenism to take root again in the end of our Cyprus.
So that my children and grandchildren do not have the same fate as me tomorrow, but so that they can be born, learn, live and grow up in Queen Famagusta !!!
What do you think are the most important issues that should concern the new composition of the House of Representatives?
The demand for the fight against corruption, entanglement, opacity, unworthiness, factorism, elitism, partisanship, favoritism and nepotism prevail in our country and the primary task of the Members of Parliament who will occupy the seats in the May 30 should be the speedy adoption of all the necessary legislation for the restructuring of the institutions, the direct digitization of the State, the electronic interconnection of the public services, the posting on a special internet platform of all the procurement contracts and in general the operating expenses. , the establishment and operation of a number of Independent Administrative Authorities, including the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority.
The new Parliament should move in the direction of taking the necessary legislative measures to eliminate the conflicts of responsibilities between the Attorney General, the Auditor General and the MO.K.AS. through the adoption of the ex-officio review of the Supreme Court, the general simplification and codification of legislation, compliance with the Greco report and finally the extension to family members and the effective - short-term but also in the long run Thorough inspection "Wherever you went" of politicians.
Furthermore, it is necessary to take all the necessary legislative measures to heal the pandemic wounds and restart the economy.
The government failed to shield the businesses, as it improperly subsidized the rents of the stores and did not declare the province of Famagusta an affected area, leaving the companies to accumulate only debts throughout the pandemic.
This in combination with the fact that the government failed through its parliamentary group to bring to the Parliament for a vote the necessary legal framework for the cessation of divestitures (except the government issued decree with time horizon in summer), the legal framework for insolvency, the cessation of evictions due to non-payment of rents, the freezing of installments to the banks, the cessation of individual prosecutions due to the pandemic, makes it clear that the burden of their vote falls on the shoulders of the next Parliament in the direction of the rapid alleviation of the obligations of both households and businesses, as well as their general support.
Turkey has recently hardened its stance on the Cyprus settlement negotiations. This in combination with the provocative actions of the pseudo-state and Ankara for the settlement of the enclosed Famagusta, show on the one hand a blatant violation of international law and on the other hand intensify their provocative and rigid stance. What is your position?
THE - In my opinion - A key international, legal and political position is that the Cyprus problem is a matter of pre-eminent invasion and illegal occupation of a third country in a single and indivisible UN member state. and the EU and that indelible and constant war crimes and crimes against humanity are perpetuated in Cyprus every day.
Thus, the draft of the negotiations must be relentlessly the removal of these violations and heinous crimes and the return of things to the previously internationally legal situation with the restoration of the Constitutional order and the unity of the State, which was guaranteed to be preserved. Turkey itself.
Any other solution equates perpetrator and victim !!!
It is clear that the injustices in the context of resolving the Cyprus problem must be eliminated and ensured in the context of a rational, fair, functional and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem, the national sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, and that the solution must include decoupling. outdated, colonial guarantees and invasive rights, the withdrawal of the occupying army and the settlers and the return of all refugees to their ancestral homes.
In fact, it must be fully in line with international law and the entire acquis communautaire without divergence, provide for the full respect of the human rights of all legal inhabitants of the island, without divisions or discrimination on the basis of language or religion or ethnic origin, and finally must have a single legal personality, a nationality and a single representation abroad.
Under these conditions, the question of the state and administrative structure of the evolving state will take second place.
It is therefore necessary to disengage from the established methodology of the Pentagon and the convergence of an international conference to resolve the Cyprus problem according to the model of resolutions 550 and 789 with a proposal of absolute priority to the issue of Famagusta.
At the same time, it is necessary to revive the doctrine of the single defense space, the rapid strengthening of the deterrent capacity of the National Guard as well as the promotion of regional cooperation based on the exploitation of mineral wealth and their full deepening in defense cooperation within the common deterrent.
The province of Famagusta has been hit hard, especially recently by the crisis caused by the pandemic. The tourism and agricultural sectors have suffered incalculable damage with social consequences also being evident. What should be the task of the new parliament in support of free Famagusta?
It is more than true that Famagusta has been hit hard by the pandemic, while it is equally true that the government is responsible, as it did not declare the province an affected area from the beginning and did not stand up to the circumstances, financially supporting businesses unfavorable position and can not withstand a second year of revenue shortfall and economic underdevelopment.
First of all, the Parliament should take the necessary legislation for the balanced development of all three production sectors and strengthen the secondary sector of handicrafts and processing that is lagging behind in the province of Famagusta. This in the long run will balance the functioning of the local economy and the losses from the other two sectors during the pandemic period.
In addition, all appropriate legislative initiatives should be taken to adopt the legal framework for the cessation of divestitures, the legal framework for insolvency, the cessation of evictions due to non-payment of rents, the freezing of installments to banks, the cessation of individual persecution due to the pandemic and any other appropriate measures in this direction.
Furthermore, the necessary legislative measures and special provisions should be taken immediately to mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic on agriculture by boosting agricultural production and exports.
Finally, regarding the provision of financial facilities through the EU. In order to support the restart and resilience of companies, the Parliament should take the necessary legislative initiatives for the establishment of the prerequisites set by the Union but also for the rational and fair distribution of these resources.
By what criteria would you like the voters to elect the 56 deputies?
It is a common finding that politics is a complex sociological phenomenon and therefore the criteria by which voters vote are varied.
Personally, I believe that a modern politician must have met certain criteria and conditions in order to be able to fulfill the duties of a Member of Parliament.
First, it must have the required social culture and academic education, basically university, without of course excluding from the outset someone who does not hold a university degree.
Academic education will in fact be the guiding force that will determine the areas of employment of a Member of Parliament during the preparation of parliamentary work.
Second, he must have a competent career path, which has given him one "Crystallization" life experience so that it can cope with political developments.
Professional ability and life experience are the guide to survival in the arena of politics.
Third, he must have fully developed his moral values and springs, since he must start from the love of fellow human beings, solidarity, responsibility, consistency, character integrity, honesty, transparency, accountability. , the developed sense of justice and to always operate with the aim of being in the parliamentary seats to serve the supreme public interest and to solve the real problems of the citizens and for absolutely no benefit.
In this way, he must have removed all traces of arrogance and selfishness and treat public engagement as a fulfillment of a genuine patriotic democratic duty and a duty of self-realization.
Fourth, he must have already developed the necessary skills and abilities, namely, synthetic ability of opinion, rhetorical skill, perception, wit, exceptional ingenuity, perspicacity, be eloquent, have clear views but a fist where needed, as well as the required composure to deal with emergencies, crises and multilevel problems that are often complex.
Above all, however, he must have a vision for his place and homeland, which can connect with the vision of the citizens, inspire them to follow his vision, but also for him to integrate their visions into his policy and implement them. .
All candidates and parties refer to the change. What does change mean to you?
The meaning of "Change" is a vague evaluative concept that everyone perceives, captures and colors in the light of their subjective criterion.
In my view, change necessarily continues with the change of mentality, the imposition of the overriding public interest over the individual, the imposition of meritocracy, transparency and accountability in public life.
Change means the eradication of old-fashioned partisanship, bipolarity, order that eventually brought corruption, entanglement, micropolitical services, exploitation and "Regulations", putrefaction, decay and denial that evolves into impunity.
Change means to follow the indestructible, not to fall into the error of rebuilding our place with used and worn materials, with old party ideas and party armies, much more with cheap nationalist chants and verbalisms.
It is the responsibility of all of us to return to a democratic society, to a healthier society, and to reverse this dangerous situation.
The May 30 parliamentary elections are a prime opportunity to change the facts, to unite our voices, our passion and to turn our anger and frustration into a force for real change, cleansing and punishing the corrupt.
The movement "Solidarity" is a fresh force with new faces, new ideas inspired by love of country and democratic values, it is in fact the ballot with the lowest average age of the candidates and the first in number of women.
There are 56 candidates who are clean, honest, honest, with morals, principles, values and ideals, without submissive morals but also with pure intellect !!! Experience, knowledge but also youthful momentum and determination is the required policy mix to bring change to our place !!!
Solidarity is the force of responsibility and change, it is the force that articulates a clear and genuinely patriotic democratic voice. The parliamentary elections on May 30 are crucial, as every vote counts. The future of Cyprus also depends on your vote. There is no room for error, only room for change with the movement as its main exponent "Solidarity"!!!
What will be your first concern in the event of your election?
If the citizens of Famagusta support me with their vote to represent them in the upcoming House of Representatives, I would like to assure them in advance that I will do so worthily. Therefore, my primary and only concern will be Famagusta and only this and the service of needs and the solution of the problems of the province and my fellow citizens.
My parliamentary priorities will be:
- My involvement with Justice issues, the reorganization of the institutions of the State and Justice, the fight against opacity, unworthiness and corruption, through my participation in the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, the Parliamentary Committee on Institutions, Values and Commissioner of Administration and the Special Parliamentary Committee on Lust.
- My preoccupation with our national problem, through my participation in the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign and European Affairs and the Parliamentary Committee on Defense, towards the pursuit of a predominantly rational, just, viable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem that is in line with International Law and the European acquis, free from occupying armies, settlers and obsolete guarantees guaranteeing a single legal personality, citizenship and international representation.
- Dealing with refugee needs and the refugee movement and the Parliamentary Committee for Refugees, Caged, Missing and Suffered, as it is known that the province of Famagusta (and not only) is full of refugees who have a complaint - most of the time not unjustly - that they have been left to their fate by the state !!
- My hobby with the sensitive area of labor relations, through the participation in the Committee on Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance, which are a systemic pillar of stability of the market and our economy but also a cohesive link of the Cypriot society.
What is your message to the voters?
My message to the voters is to remind them that the exercise of the right to vote is the most important and catalytic individual, social and political human right in modern times and the greatest manifestation of democratic obligation and duty at the same time.
Conscious abstention from the electoral process, either as a protest or as a disrespect to the political system and politicians, is in my view a grossly wrong reaction, as it widens the margin of impunity in the state-citizen relationship.
On the contrary, the active participation of the citizens has as an invisible consequence the accountability of the political system to the citizens as well as the revelation and expulsion of abscesses and cancers of corruption and entanglement.
The citizen must exercise his right to vote in a prudent way and according to the Aristotelian criterion of the Aristocracy, that is, of his rule by the best !!
This inextricably means detachment from the ideologies of voting based solely on kinship or purely self-interested personal interest and most of the time regardless of the actual possibilities of representing the candidate.
Regarding my candidacy in the province of Famagusta with the movement "Solidarity" it comes from a purely democratic patriotic duty to serve Famagusta and my fellow citizens, it is not based on the thought of winning "A salary" or rather "A chair" which will provide me with a salary, since my career in both litigation and academic teaching ensures a decent and satisfactory living for me.
My election to the post of Member of Parliament also does not stem from any completely complacent publicity, as well as from the step of the community organizations that I have been volunteering as an elected member for twenty consecutive years, I have a satisfactory step of expressing my views.
Therefore, what I want to make fully understood is that my candidacy is based solely on my love for Cyprus, Famagusta and is clearly due to my experiences of refuge and uprooting from our beloved city and province and is a candidacy of unpretentious love. and offer for the place, the homeland, the refugees, the return and Famagusta only !!!
Curriculum Vitae:
Dr. Alexios Konstantinou comes from the parish of Stavros in Varosi. He studied at the Law School, received a Postgraduate Diploma in the field of Labor Law and then prepared a doctoral dissertation at the Law School of the University of Athens in the field of European Labor Law. He has also completed postgraduate studies at the University of Nicosia in International Relations and European Studies.
He has taught at undergraduate and postgraduate level at the current University of West Attica (PADA), while today he is Coordinator - Professor at the Open University of Cyprus (APKY) and the School of Greek Police Officers (SA). .Ε.Α.).
He practices law in Cyprus and Greece and is a legal advisor to companies dealing with Labor, Criminal, Civil, Commercial and Administrative Law cases.
He has written articles in a prestigious legal journal awarded by the Academy of Athens, has prepared presentations at conferences of the Association of Criminologists and Fighting Lawyers, has participated in numerous legal conferences (Labor Law, Criminal Law, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law) studies in geopolitics and security in the wider Middle East, behavioral psychology, advanced leadership and negotiation techniques as well as politics and rhetoric.
He has been diligently involved in volunteering and in particular with the pro-Cypriot movement movement in Greece since 2002 and has participated continuously in the conferences of the Federation of Greek Cypriot Organizations (OKOE), the World Federation of Expatriate Cypriots (PO). .Μ.Α.Κ.) And the World Coordinating Committee of the Cyprus Struggle (Π.Σ.Ε.Κ.Α.). He has held positions of responsibility and today holds the position of General Secretary of the Association of Greek Cypriots (CSR), Deputy Secretary General of the Federation of Greek Cypriot Organizations (CSO) and Vice President of the Region Attica.
He is a member of the Political Committee of the movement "Solidarity", President of the Hellenic Branch since the establishment of the movement, Secretary of the Justice sector and Candidate Member of Parliament in the province of Famagusta in the upcoming Elections for the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus.
He is married and speaks Greek, English, French and Spanish.