2023-05-15 22:05:00
Meloni, with the Defense Minister. CHIGI PALACE | EFE extension
It retains the town halls of important cities such as Imperia or Treviso, although in many other places a second round will be needed at the end of the month, such as Brescia or Vicenza.
15 may 2023 . Updated at 10:05 p.m.
At the headquarters of the electoral campaign of the Democratic Party (PD, center-left) in Vicenza there was a lot of expectation this Monday before the second round of local elections scheduled for the end of the month. Many believe that his candidate, Giacomo Possamai, 33, will prevail over the current mayor of the right-wing coalition, Francesco Rucco, 48.
I am optimistic. I have voted for the PD, I always have, says Giorgio, a retiree in his 70s from this northeastern Italian city. Another retiree, Paola, has also opted for Posamai, but she thinks Rucco will win. Many people vote for the right because they like the national government [de GiorgiaMeloni], which is right-wing, he says. Her daughter, who accompanies her, confirms it with a smile: I am an example of this, I voted for Meloni in the general elections in September and now I have voted for Rucco. Chiara, a university student, has also voted for the right-wing mayor because she says that she is a practical person, who thinks about concrete things. Another student stands out: I voted giving priority to environmental issues, which unfortunately do not seem to be a priority for any of the candidates.
Vicenza is a microcosm reflecting the growing divisions in Italy. Between Sunday and Monday, 595 municipalities in the country have voted, including a regional capital and 17 provincial ones, and in many cases there will be a second round between left and right candidates, including Vicenza. There are exceptions. In Brescia the center-left candidate has already secured victory, while in Imperia and Treviso the right wing has won. In general, winning even in cities formerly governed by the center-left, such as the City of Latina.
Until recently, Italians voted one way in local or regional elections, and another in national ones. But things are changing, perhaps also because of the leaders who head the four main Italian parties: Elly Schlein (PD), Giuseppe Conte (5 Star Movement), Giorgia Meloni (Brothers of Italy) and Matteo Salvini (League) are clearly leaders of the left or right, far from the centrism that characterized the liberal billionaire Silvio Berlusconi and his historic opponent, the Catholic professor Romano Prodi.
Abstentionism was significant. Barely 59% of the voters have voted, vs. 63.9% for locals in 2018. But even where turnout was high, divisions persist. Bema is a mountain municipality of a hundred inhabitants in the province of Sondrio (north). There, 71.22% of the voters went to the polls, with a result that has reached the national newspapers: the current mayor and his center-left opponent obtained 49 votes each.
In the networks, some attribute the increase in abstentionism to the previous center-left executives, others to the right and predict that the Meloni government will fall soon. In any case, words like resignation and mistrust are frequent.
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