Irene Charalambides, a Member of Parliament, has been expelled from the AKEL parliamentary group. She strongly disagrees with this decision. Charalambides says the party leaders decided this alone. She plans to continue her work in parliament as an independent. She has accused the AKEL leaders of attacking her character. She also said they are spreading divisive ideas.
Relations between Charalambides and the party leaders have been bad for months. This problem got worse because of AKEL's new rules. These rules limit members to two terms in parliament. Charalambides is now in her third term. Therefore, she cannot run for AKEL in the May elections.
Charalambides spoke with AKEL leaders for about five months. They discussed working together in the future. However, these talks did not go well. She met them on September 3, 2025, and February 4, 2026. They talked about their future work. Charalambides said their ideas were "general and vague." They did not develop these ideas. So, she asked for written plans. She said she never got them.
The MP also mentioned "very serious personal issues." These problems made it hard to decide her future political path. She was disappointed that AKEL leaders wanted quick answers. She felt she could not give them because of her private situation. Charalambides stated clearly that she did not choose to leave the group. "The decision to leave the parliamentary group was made by Akel’s leadership not me," she said. She also said she never wanted to be independent.
This separation has important consequences. Charalambides will still be an MP. She will work as an independent. She feels very unhappy. She claims the party leaders created a story to hurt her reputation. This disagreement shows how difficult it is for parties to follow their own rules. It also shows how rules about term limits can cause problems. More attention will be on Charalambides as an independent MP. AKEL's internal situation will also be watched. This is happening before the May elections.