{{Infobox political party | country = Cyprus | name = EDEK Socialist Party | native_name = ΕΔΕΚ Σοσιαλιστικό Κόμμα | logo = Movement for Social Democracy logo.png | abbreviation = EDEK | leader = ''Vacant'' | founder = Vasos Lyssaridis | wing1_title = Labour wing | wing1 = DEOK | student_wing = AGONAS | youth_wing = EDEK Youth | womens_wing = Socialist Women's Movement | colorcode = {{Political party data|color}} | foundation = {{start date and age|1969}} | ideology = {{ubl|class=nowrap| |Social democracy{{refn|<ref name="Nordsieck">{{cite web|url=http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/cyprus.html|title=Cyprus|first=Wolfram|last=Nordsieck|website=Parties and Elections in Europe|date=2016}}</ref><ref name="PalgraveSocDem71"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Escalona |first1=Fabien |last2=Keith |first2=Daniel |last3=March |first3=Luke |date=2023-04-17 |title=The Palgrave Handbook of Radical Left Parties in Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Palgrave_Handbook_of_Radical_Left_Pa.html?id=wTu6EAAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description |publisher=Springer Nature |page=120 |isbn=1137562641 |quote=communist AKEL (Progressive Party of Working People—1926), social democratic EDEK (United Democratic Union of the Centre—1969), centre-right DIKO (Democratic Party—1976) and right-wing DISY (Democratic Rally—1976). |access-date=2025-08-15}}</ref>}} |Greek Cypriot nationalism<ref name="VarnavaYakinthou469">{{Cite book |author1=Andrekos Varnava |author2=Christalla Yakinthou |title=Cyprus: Political Modernity and the Structures of Democracy in a Divided Island |work=The Oxford Handbook of Local and Regional Democracy in Europe |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |page=469}}</ref>}} | position = Centre<ref>{{cite news| last = Kambas| first = Michele| title = Far right and newcomers make gains in Cyprus election| publisher = Reuters| date = 24 May 2026| url = https://www.reuters.com/world/cyprus-votes-new-parliament-with-corruption-living-costs-focus-2026-05-24/| access-date = 24 May 2026}}</ref> | colors = {{Color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}} {{Color box|{{Political party data|color}}|border=darkgray}} {{Color box|#bda475|border=darkgray}} Red, Green, Gold | headquarters = Nicosia | regional = PSOM (historical) | international = Progressive Alliance<br>Socialist International | european = Party of European Socialists | europarl = Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats <!-- Values obtained from Wikidata; to edit, see https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q259800 -->| seats1_title = House of Representatives | seats1 = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|ms-lower-house}} | seats2_title = European Parliament | seats2 = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|EP}} | seats3_title = Municipal Councils | seats3 = {{Composition bar|27|443|hex={{Political party data|color}}}} | website = {{Political party data|website}} }}
The '''EDEK Socialist Party''' ({{langx|el|ΕΔΕΚ Σοσιαλιστικό Κόμμα|translit=EDEK Sosialistiko Komma}}) is a social-democratic<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.edek.org.cy/Content/225/%CE%99%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%B1-%CE%91%CE%BE%CE%B9%CE%B5%CF%82-%CE%91%CF%81%CF%87%CE%B5%CF%82-%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9-%CE%99%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%B1 | title=Εδεκ - Κινημα Σοσιαλδημοκρατων }}</ref><ref name="Nordsieck"/><ref name="PalgraveSocDem71"/> political party in Cyprus.
==Overview== The party was founded by Vassos Lyssarides in 1969 as the '''United Democratic Centre Union, EDEK''' ({{Langx|el|Ενιαία Δημοκρατική Ένωση Κέντρου|translit=Eniaia demokratiki enosi kentrou}}, ΕΔΕΚ). It was originally a strongly anti-imperialist democratic socialist party with roots in the struggle against British colonial rule, influenced by the philosophies of the Andreas Papandreou left-wing faction within Georgios Papandreou's Centre Union,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eklektor.org/the-united-democratic-union-of-the-center-edek/|title=The United Democratic Union of the Center (EDEK)|date=12 May 2020|access-date=10 October 2023}}</ref><ref name=pasok/> PASOK,<ref name=pasok>{{Cite book|title=Party-Society Relations in the Republic of Cyprus |isbn=9781317386575 |year=2013 |pages=86|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q4P4CgAAQBAJ&dq=EDEK+pasok&pg=PA86 |last1=Charalambous |first1=Giorgos |last2=Christophorou |first2=Christophoros |publisher=Routledge }}</ref> and the 1968 movement.
EDEK, and Lyssarides personally, enjoyed very good relations with Third World socialist leaders and governments,<ref>{{Cite book |author=Giorgos Charalambous |title=The Party Politics of the Problem Resolving Cyprus: New Approaches to Conflict Resolution |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2015 |page=50}}</ref> including Hafez al-Assad of Syria, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya<ref name="PalgraveSocDem71">{{Cite book |author=Hayriye Kahveci |title=Cyprus |work=The Palgrave Handbook of Social Democracy in the European Union |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2013 |page=71}}</ref> and Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt.<ref name="VarnavaYakinthou469"/>
Since the early 1980s, EDEK has evolved into a European-style social-democratic party. It has however not given up its nationalist and "enotic" orientations.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Christophoros Christophorou |title=The Evolution of Greek Cypriot Party Politics |work=The Government and Politics of Cyprus |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2009 |page=103}}</ref> The party changed its name to "Movement for Social Democracy" ({{langx|el|Κίνημα Σοσιαλδημοκρατών}}) in 2000.<ref name="PalgraveSocDem72">{{Cite book |author=Hayriye Kahveci |title=Cyprus |work=The Palgrave Handbook of Social Democracy in the European Union |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2013 |pages=71–72}}</ref>
EDEK is led by Marinos Sizopoulos and is a member of the Party of European Socialists and Socialist International.
==History==
===Formation and early years===
Members were drawn from the committee for re-establishment of democracy in Greece, and fighters from Lyssaridis's group during the 1964 clashes between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Lyssaridis was the personal physician of Archbishop Makarios III, the first president of independent Cyprus, whom the party supported. The party's name was inspired by Greek's Centre Union (EK) of Georgios Papandreou. It positioned itself in "the space inbetween" (neither left nor right).<ref>{{Cite book |author=Christophoros Christophorou |title=The Evolution of Greek Cypriot Party Politics |work=The Government and Politics of Cyprus |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2009 |page=90}}</ref> EDEK had links to the international Non-Aligned Movement and was opposed to the right-wing Colonels' regime in Greece.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Christophoros Christophorou |title=The Evolution of Greek Cypriot Party Politics |work=The Government and Politics of Cyprus |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2009 |page=89}}</ref> Many of the party's members were part of the armed resistance to the 15 July 1974 coup against Makarios. The leader of the youth section of the party, Doros Loizou, was shot and killed in an attempt to murder Lyssaridis in August 1974.
Several members of the party's youth section (EDEN) with Trotskyist tendencies were expelled between 1979 and 1984, who then formed Aristeri Pteryga (Left Wing).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mirbagheri |first1=Farid |last2=Solomou |first2=Emilios A. |date=2021 |title=Historical Dictionary of Cyprus |location=London, United Kingdom |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=138 |isbn=9781538111581}}</ref>
During the late 1990s, EDEK negotiated with several minor parties, planning to merge all political forces between the communist AKEL and the conservative DISY into a major centrist party. It merged with two small groups, the Renewal Movement and the Independent Personalities Group, in February 2000. This was marked by its name change to "Movement for Social Democracy" (KISOS), which was also intended to bring the party closer to European social democratic parties in terms of both values and appearance. However, only two months after the merger, the members of the Renewal Movement left, citing a "lack of trust" vis-à-vis old EDEK members. Therefore, basically "the new KISOS was the old EDEK".<ref name="PalgraveSocDem72"/>
===21st century===
In the 2001 general elections EDEK won 6.5% of the votes cast and 4 of the 56 seats in the House of Representatives of Cyprus. EDEK was one of the most outspoken opponents of the Annan Plan for the reunification of Cyprus, which was voted on, and ultimately rejected by the Greek Cypriot community in the 2004 referendum.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Christophoros Christophorou |title=The Evolution of Greek Cypriot Party Politics |work=The Government and Politics of Cyprus |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2009 |page=97}}</ref> In the elections of 21 May 2006, the first since the referendum, the party increased its vote share to 8.9%, and won 5 out of 56 seats.
EDEK backed Dimitris Christofias of the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) in the second round of the February 2008 presidential election. On the proposal of EDEK's Political Bureau, 109 members of its Central Committee voted in favor of supporting Christofias, five voted against, and two abstained.<ref>[http://www.financialmirror.com/more_news.php?id=10059&nt=Politics "Cyprus Socialists supports Christofias's candidacy"]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''Financial Mirror'', February 21, 2008.</ref> In February 2010 EDEK quit from the government coalition due to its dispute concerning the decisions of Dimitris Christofias in the Cyprus Problem.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tovima.gr/default.asp?pid=2&ct=32&artid=314222&dt=09/02/2010|script-title=el:Τριγμοί στην κυβέρνηση Χριστόφια - Αποχώρησε η ΕΔΕΚ|publisher=To Vima|author=Nikos Chasapopoulos|date=2010-02-09|access-date=2010-08-03|language=el}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.financialmirror.com/News/Business_and_Finance/19298|title=EDEK withdraws from Cyprus government coalition|publisher=FinancialMirror|date=2010-02-09|access-date=2010-08-03}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
The party leader, Yiannakis Omirou, was elected as President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, following the 2011 general elections, in which EDEK obtained 8.93% of the votes and five seats in Parliament.
In the February 2013 presidential election, EDEK backed the independent candidate Yiorgos Lillikas. The former minister of foreign affairs in Tassos Papadopoulos' cabinet. In the second round, EDEK decided not to back any other candidate, neither the DISY candidate Nicos Anastasiades, or AKEL candidate Stavros Malas.
In January 2015, House President Yiannakis Omirou resigned from EDEK's leadership. In March he was succeeded by his deputy Marinos Sizopoulos.<ref>{{cite web| title=CYPRUS: Socialists elect new leader, aim for 2016 elections| url=http://financialmirror.com/news-details.php?nid=33892| work=Financial Mirror| date=2 March 2015| access-date=8 August 2015| archive-date=8 July 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708024315/http://www.financialmirror.com/news-details.php?nid=33892| url-status=dead}}</ref>
In November 2022, the party's name was changed to EDEK Socialist Party.<ref>{{cite web| title=Άλλαξε (ξανά) όνομα η ΕΔΕΚ |trans-title=EDEK changed its name (again) |url=https://reporter.com.cy/article/2022/11/18/665282/allaxe-xana-onoma-e-edek/ |work=Reporter |date=18 November 2022}}</ref>
In the 2026 legislative election, the party lost all its seats in the House of Representatives, marking the first time since the party entered parliament in 1970 that EDEK has been without representation in the House, ending a 56-year presence in parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Δημητριάδη |first=Ραφαέλα |date=24 May 2026 |title=Γιατί η ΕΔΕΚ έμεινε εκτός Βουλής μετά από 56 χρόνια |url=https://www.kathimerini.com.cy/gr/politiki/boyleytikes-2026/ektos-boylis-meta-apo-56-xronia-i-edek |access-date=2026-05-25 |website=Kathimerini |language=el}}</ref>
==Election results== ===Parliament===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" |+ House of Representatives ! rowspan=2| Election ! colspan=3| Votes ! colspan=2| Seats |- ! style="width:60px"| # ! style="width:80px"| % ! style="width:60px"| Rank ! style="width:60px"| # ! style="width:60px"| ± |- ! 1970 | 12,996 | 8.3 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|2|35|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | new |- ! 1976 | colspan=3| <small>With DIKO and AKEL</small> | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|4|35|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{increase}} 2 |- ! 1981 | 23,772 | 8.2 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|3|35|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{decrease}} 1 |- ! 1985 | 35,371 | 11.1 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|6|56|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{increase}} 3 |- ! 1991 | 37,264 | 10.9 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|7|56|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{increase}} 1 |- ! 1996 | 30,033 | 8.1 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|5|56|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{decrease}} 2 |- ! 2001 | 26,767 | 6.5 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|4|56|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{decrease}} 1 |- ! 2006 | 37,533 | 8.9 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|5|56|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{increase}} 1 |- ! 2011 | 36,113 | 8.9 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|5|56|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{steady}} 0 |- ! 2016 | 21,732 | 6.2 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|3|56|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{decrease}} 2 |- ! 2021{{efn|Run with Citizens' Alliance.}} | 24,022 | 6.7 | 5th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|4|56|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{Increase}} 1 |- !2026 |12,092 |3.3 |7th | style="text-align:right" |{{Composition bar compact|0|56|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} |{{decrease}} 4 |}
===European Parliament===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" |+ European Parliament ! rowspan=2| Election ! colspan=3| Votes ! colspan=2| Seats |- ! style="width:50px"| # ! style="width:50px"| % ! style="width:50px"| Rank ! style="width:50px"| # ! style="width:50px"| ± |- ! 2004 | 36,075 | 10.79 | 5th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|0|6|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | new |- ! 2009 | 30,169 | 9.85 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|1|6|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{increase}} 1 |- ! 2014{{efn|Run with Movement of Ecologists – Citizens' Cooperation.}} | 19,894 | 7.68 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|1|6|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{steady}} 0 |- ! 2019 | 29,715 | 10.58 | 4th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|1|6|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} | {{steady}} 0 |- !2024 |18,681 |5.07 |6th | style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|0|6|{{party color|Movement for Social Democracy}}}} |{{decrease}} 1 |}
{{Notelist}}
==Presidents of the Movement==
* 1969–2001: Dr. Vasos Lyssaridis * 2001–2015: Yiannakis Omirou * 2015–2025: Marinos Sizopoulos * 2025– : Nikos Anastasiou
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *[http://www.edek.org.cy/ Official website] *[http://www.cypruselections.org/ Cyprus Elections & Politics] {{Cypriotic political parties}} {{Party of European Socialists}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Movement For Social Democracy}} Category:Movement for Social Democracy Category:1969 establishments in Cyprus Category:Greek Cypriot nationalism Category:Full member parties of the Socialist International Category:Party of European Socialists member parties Category:Political parties established in 1969 Category:Progressive Alliance Category:Social democratic parties Category:Socialist parties in Cyprus Category:Political parties in Cyprus