New Wave – The Other Cyprus () is a political movement in the Republic of Cyprus. The movement's main stated goal is to mobilize society for reform and new prospects for Cyprus and the young people of the country.
History
Neo Kyma was founded on November 18, 2019, by Constantinos Christofides, former rector of the University of Cyprus, as a movement against corruption and the ongoing political stagnation in Cyprus during the division of Cyprus. The name New Wave is inspired by the same-named music movement in Greece, film movement in France, and cultural movement in the United States during the 1960s, which coincided with the independence of Cyprus. On November 18, 2019, the movement and its supporters officially introduced itself at an event in Nicosia. In the process, it was initially registered as a non-profit corporation.
In May 2021, the movement announced that it would not participate in the 2021 parliamentary elections, contrary to its initial plans. It justified this with its not yet fully developed program and the aggravated conditions caused by the Corona pandemic.
On November 4, 2021, Neo Kyma and the pan-European party Volt Europa signed a memorandum of understanding and agreed to cooperate closely. Together, they plan to run in the 2023 presidential election and, after the election, merge to form the Volt Cyprus political party, which will then form Volt's local offshoot in Cyprus.
On 29 April 2022, the movement announced that it would contest the 2023 presidential elections with Christofides as its candidate. Christofides received 1.6% of the vote in the first round.
With a merger of the movement with the political movement Famagusta for Cyprus, the two founded the political party Volt Cyprus on October 26.
Structure
The highest body of the movement is the 77-member Council, whose task is to make proposals and decisions on how the movement can influence things in Cyprus. It consists of 77 members of the movement elected every 3 years and meets at least quarterly to review the work done by committees.
The Coordination Committee is the executive body of the Movement and consists of a maximum of 14 members elected by the 77-member Council. It implements the decisions of the council and is responsible for the smooth functioning and development of the movement, as well as partnerships with other movements.
The movement's programmatic development takes place in 15 Thematic Committees, and the committees take on an advisory role, reporting regularly to the Coordinating Committee. These work together to develop a program for participating in elections and taking positions toward the work of the government.
The movement also has a youth group that works especially for a sustainable future with work for all, with equal education and development opportunities, and concerns for young people.
Locally, the movement is structured in 7 district teams, corresponding to the 6 districts of Cyprus and Troodos.
Policies
Cyprus conflict
In the Cyprus conflict, New Wave supports the reunification of Cyprus as a federal state, supports the basic direction of the UN's plans, and calls for more efforts from all parties to further refine the plans. In doing so, it sees itself as an all-Cypriot movement of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, and condemns the Turkish government's continued occupation of the northern part of Cyprus.
EU reform
The movement supports the idea of a federal united Europe with a Senate representing the interests of the regions and a European government, with a prime minister elected by the European Parliament. To this end, a common European constitution should be adopted, with human rights, freedom, democracy and equality at its core. Europe is to share a common foreign policy and European army, in addition to a common market and economy.
Administrative reform
The movement calls for a reform of local government, aiming to reduce the number of municipalities in Cyprus to 6. In this way, the recommendations of the EU are to be implemented and the costs of maintaining the large number of local authorities, each with its own personnel, equipment and buildings, are to be significantly reduced. At the same time, this should also reduce bureaucracy and allow for lower taxes. Public administration and state structures should also be modernised and decisions made more transparent by supporting e-government.
