Kalopia

[Kubrick]

Campaign Analysis: we are witnessing the Lakaridis Circus

By Fatima Ibrahimi - 5 May 5734
The '34 presidential elections were scheduled ahead of the end of President Lakaridis' term with his consent after an attempt was made by the government and higher court to align elections with a two year gap. None of the involved parties accounted for the collapse of several groups represented in parliament, and right after the parliamentary elections campaign the volunteers were drafted again for the presidential elections of 5734. The tone however, could not be much different if one tried. Whereas the '33 parliamentary elections were about continuing the coalition and pressing issues like housing, benefits, and the status of minorities within the Republic the opposite happened for the current campaign. The prelude to the first round was all rather quiet, campaigners walked around, even the President himself has managed to scrounge together an army of volunteers that answer to a non-profit called Chtízontas to Éthnos or Building the Nation, which also became the campaign slogan for former real estate mogul and current head of state Antonios Lakaridis.

Now, in the weeks up to the runoffs on June 1st the tone of the campaign has shifted entirely. The elections are between winner of round one, Theodóros Kallívas of the right-wing Centre Party, and current President Antonios Lakaridis, officially independent but known to have close ties to many within Phalanx and openly fraternises with many within the ranks of Kalopian Spring. The campaign however seems to be entirely about Antonios Lakaridis. His own campaign prominently features himself, and like the previous elections 'the whirlwind', as some inside the Presidential Manor have come to call him, goes from visit to visit to meet as many people as he can. The Kallívas campaign also seems to be prominently featuring Lakaridis, with the campaign team even foregoing to feature their own candidate on the poster and instead placing a giant picture of a smiling Lakaridis with small devil's horns. Retired campaign strategist Vishkullore Marku has criticised the course, calling it a bad call to give free publicity to your main opponent: "All the Centre Party are doing is increasingly imprinting Lakaridis in the visual memory of the voter, that is something you want to avoid, you want the voter to think about your candidate, not your rival." Meanwhile, the Lakaridis campaign avoids even discussing Kallívas, besides alluding to great repercussions against democracy if the current President loses.

Only a few days ago Antonios Lakaridis went viral after showing up to the gym of Hektor Nikandros. The two are often cited as sworn enemies since Lakaridis accused Nikandros of steroid abuse and Nikandros in turn calling the President a "flabby man". The last comment seems to have stuck with the President, who appeared more fit than before and actively participated in a strict regimen set by the Director-General of Dýnamis. The two men seemed to get along well, even though Nikandros has currently endorsed Kallívas for president. When even the friends of Kallívas prefer to hang out with Lakaridis, you truly know you are in the Lakaridis Circus.

Wantuni Dawn (فجر وانتوني / Γουαντούνι Αυγή) is an investigative outlet primarily focused on the challenges facing Kalopia's minorities.