Perhaps none of us knew, as we began the week, that the LTB mayoral race would heat up this much… Tuesday The bombshell announcement on Tuesday evening came from the DP… In the statement announcing Mustafa Arabacıoğlu as the DP’s candidate for Lefkoşa Mayor, photographs of the DP Party Council were sent to the press…
The other bombshell was undoubtedly the claim that İrfan Günsel, son of YDÜ Founding Rector Suat Günsel, might run as a candidate for the UBP… Another claim was that KTFF President Hasan Sertoğlu would run as a UBP candidate… As there has been no development regarding either claim, it is too early to comment.
In the TDP, meanwhile, word came that Suphi Hüdaoğlu had been selected as the party’s candidate by its authorized bodies. I spoke with Suphi Hüdaoğlu about this… He said he would think it over until Monday, and that the decision would be announced together with the party on Monday… Once the situation becomes clear, I will of course share my views on this matter in this column…
In the CTP, assessments and discussions are ongoing. I spoke with CTP General Chair Özkan Yorgancıoğlu about how far they had got… Yorgancıoğlu said they were considering three or four names and that discussions were continuing, and that the CTP would announce its LTB mayoral candidate by Thursday at the latest.
It is also too early to comment on the names being rumored for this position…
In the end, the only person whose candidacy is certain is Mustafa Arabacıoğlu. I arranged a program with him during the week.
Arabacıoğlu is among those who know well what kind of state the LTB is in… When I told him, “You’re taking on a difficult job,” he replied, “I like taking on challenges”… When I asked, “How will you run the LTB?” Arabacıoğlu replied, “First, I will ensure financial discipline and harmony among the employees. Transparency will come to the LTB’s management. Given that loans are available at such low interest rates, I will initiate legal proceedings against those who took 10 million pounds from a private company at a high interest rate for the LTB. Employees should know this: no one will be dismissed.”…
I reminded Arabacıoğlu, whom I believe has an image as an honest politician in the public’s eyes and has proven this through his political career (especially when you consider those who constantly switch parties), that the previous mayor had been elected from the DP, and asked whether that was a disadvantage for him. Arabacıoğlu said, “When Cemal Bulutoğluları was first elected, he ran as a DP candidate, but he was never a DP member. He then changed his party anyway, and ran as a UBP candidate in the last local elections.”
When the issue of leaving the DP came up, I asked Arabacıoğlu why so many people had left.
“Those who left the DP did so for their own personal interests. I began my political career in the DP, and I have been under this roof for 18 years. This is proof that there is no problem with the DP or its chair. Those who left pursued their own interests,” he said…
For now, Arabacıoğlu is the only person whose candidacy is certain, and these are his views…
Let’s see who the other parties will put forward as candidates in the coming days… I think the most appropriate thing to say is, “Whoever the candidate may be, may it be for the best”…