2023-06-03 17:19:13
The city of Ancona, the regional capital of the Marches, was a true symbol for the Italian left: it had been in its hands for 30 years and its good governance had even been recognized internationally, when its councilor, Valeria Mancinelli, received the prize for best mayor in the world Five years later, everything has changed in this city of just over 100,000 inhabitants located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. In the second round of the municipal elections held last week, the conservative candidate Daniele Silvetti, a 49-year-old lawyer, obtained 57% of the ballots, thus surpassing Ida Simonelli, Mancinelli’s successor as mayoral candidate for the left. Ancona was the biggest piece that the center right claimed in these elections in which it swept the progressive bloc. Of 13 provincial capitals that were at stake, their candidates won in nine of them.
This result was an undeniable show of popular support for the Government of Giorgia Meloni seven months after coming to power. The Executive of Rome is supported by Brothers of Italy, the party of the prime minister, the League of Matteo Salvini and Forza Italia, the political force of Silvio Berlusconi. The three allies presented themselves to the municipal elections together, which contrasted with the disunity between the initials of the left-wing opposition. “A deep crisis of the Democratic Party (PD) and the 5 Star Movement (M5E) emerges from the vote”, commented in the ‘Corriere della Sera’ his political analyst Massimo Franco, who underlined the weakness in the leadership of both formations. In the leftist PD, his new secretary general, Elly Schlein, winner of the primaries held last February, has barely had time to grasp the reins, while former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has not managed to get the M5E to rise at the polls or in the polls .
The laboratory
The right, on the other hand, has the wind in its favor throughout the country, as was made clear by Silvetti’s victory in Ancona. The conservatives already took control of the regional government in Las Marches two and a half years ago, since then converted into a kind of laboratory to study how Meloni’s party exercised power. «It was perceived that there was a desire for change. When you spoke to the shopkeepers or the people on the street, you could tell they were tired of the left and worried about relaunching the city”, says Alessandra Napolitano, a journalist for the local newspaper ‘Ancona Today’.
The regional capital of the Marche is experiencing a situation similar to that of many other medium-sized cities in Italy. Although the quality of life is generally good, a sense of decadence permeates part of society due to ageing, population decline and lack of opportunities. “Ancona has lost its specific weight, so there is an idea that it is in crisis. The center-right candidate has insisted that the city has to regain its leading role and to do so he intends to strengthen the port and respond to the population’s demand for greater urban decorum. Much more can also be done to boost tourism,” says Napolitano.
The possibility of being more heard in Rome with a mayor of the same political color as that of the central Executive would also have weighed on the success of the right in Ancona and in other important cities at stake in these municipal elections, such as Massa, Siena or Brindisi. «It is no coincidence that many have followed the political wind that had already reached the regional and national government before. It is an argument that I have always opposed. It is as if the projects can only be carried out if you have your friends in the regional and national government. It is something that I do not consider correct, but that without a doubt has worked, “considered Simonelli, the candidate of the left defeated in Ancona.
The challenge in the coming months for Meloni, who continues to be first in the polls with nearly a 10-point advantage in voting intentions over the PD, will be to maintain this high level of approval despite the wear and tear that the electoral campaign will entail for the European elections next year. They will be proportional, so the partners who support the Executive will try to set their own profile, thus putting pressure on the stability with which, until now, the government coalition has operated.
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