Nupelda KARABUĞDAY
Cem Kar, Director of Abrakadabra Communications Management, assessed the local election results Journalist Cem Kar, who ran the election campaign for İsmail Arter, the new mayor of Mağusa, during the election period, and who is Director of Abrakadabra Communications Management, assessed the election results on Günaydın Ada, a program hosted by Gözde Bekir on Ada TV. Kar stressed that political parties needed to read the messages sent by the public correctly. Emphasizing that they had faced a strong opponent throughout the election, Kar said they had used the disadvantage of having remained in office for years. Kar said that, throughout the campaign, the posters and videos they had prepared showed that Mağusa, which was always described as a brand, was facing a situation far removed from reality. Saying there had been a failure of management, Kar said, “There’s a perception that the municipality was run without even the principle of picking up a piece of garbage and keeping the place clean. When you go and see it, municipal services are highly developed in various countries around the world.” Kar also said that, judging by the results at the ballot box, independents had come to the fore, and argued that the political parties had lost.
“INDEPENDENT AFTER THE ALLIANCE ENDED”
Kar also assessed the criticism directed at İsmail Arter, who initially ran as the DP-UG candidate but later decided to continue as an independent, and answered the question, “Isn’t Arter an independent?” Kar said: “Why did he run as a DP candidate? Because there was an alliance. Why did he become an independent? Because the alliance ended. Mr. İsmail showed that kind of resolve at this point. The UBP and DP also announced that they would support him. There was nothing wrong with that; it wasn’t difficult to explain to the public. They’re like pieces of a puzzle; they all need to come together. There also needs to be strong support from the grassroots.”
“INDEPENDENTS WON”
Kar also assessed the election campaigns of the other political parties and candidates, and said he thought Harmancı’s campaign had been successful. Some of the striking points from Cem Kar’s remarks were as follows: “The political parties were the ones who lost. There were a lot of independents. An independent candidate won in Girne, and independent candidates won in Mağusa and İskele. I spoke with an older brother of mine who has lived in America for years, and he said the system needed to be changed. In other words, political parties should be removed from local government; there should be independent candidates, and political parties should support them. The public should make its choice by assessing individuals, rather than on the basis of party affiliation.”
“OTHER FACTORS COME INTO PLAY”
“We need to recognize that local elections are about individuals. Our electoral system is also not one that gives independents much opportunity. We can assess independents if they run in a general election, but in local government, individuals are also in the foreground. Other factors come into play as well. There are rumors that the President got involved, but to say that it was entirely thanks to him would be disrespectful both to the candidate and to the public.”