No bridge over troubled waters: The Cypriot Left heading the government 2008-2013

In 2008, leftists across Europe hailed the election of communist leader Dimitris Christofias to executive office in the Republic of Cyprus as a breakthrough, with grand prospects for progressive, leftward change. The Cypriot left in the form of AKEL seemed to be the exception in the neo-liberal European political universe, offering a new hope and a potential for an alternative political course. AKEL's rise to executive power was seen as evidence that the left could head the government in a European state and as an example for other left parties. Five years after, when Cyprus has signed a bail-out agreement with the Troika, comparable to the ones in Greece, the right has triumphantly returned back to office, some of the harshest austerity measures have been imposed by EU elites and passed by parliament, and public opinion on the left government’s record is unprecedentedly negative, the issue of communist participation in the executive is once again, rightfully back on the agenda.

http://cnc.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/05/21/0309816815587078.abstract