Constantina Akkelidou

Early life and career Akkelidou was born in Nicosia, Cyprus. She studied chemistry at an undergraduate and postgraduate level, and became involved in leftist movements during her time as a student.

Political career On 1 March 2003, Akkelidou was appointed Minister of Health by President Tassos Papadopoulos, succeeding Frixos Savvides. In 2004 she sent a letter to a judge in Larnaca, requesting that the judge be lenient with a particular defendant, described as a reformed drug addict. On 26 November 2004, a Nicosia District Court found her guilty of interfering with the course of justice and fined her £1,000. She resigned the same day, and was later succeeded by Andreas Christou. In April 2005, the Supreme Court of Cyprus overturned her conviction in a 9–3 decision, prompting the resignation of Attorney General Solon Nikitas, who disagreed with the ruling.

In April 2005, Akkelidou was appointed special advisor to Markos Kyprianou, the European Commissioner of Health and Consumer Protection. In the 2006 legislative election, she was elected to the House of Representatives of Cyprus, representing the Nicosia constituency as a member of the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL). She took office on 11 January 2007.