The center-right coats the ballots: it wins again in Tuscany, snatches Ancona, a city governed for over 30 years by centre-left administrations, and also asserts itself in Brindisi.
The Democratic Party is in crisis and Elly Schlein admits clear defeat . The 5 stars reflect and do not spend words to comment on the result. In the end, taking into account the results of a fortnight ago, the majority triumphed with an evident 9 to 3 . Apart from the case of Terni where an independent candidate wins, previously there were 8 from the centre-right and 5 from the centre-left. Even in Sicily the en plein is looming.
There has been a further drop in turnout, but the data seems to belie the taboo that double-shifting would help centre-left candidates. A vote that confirms a very long honeymoon between the executive and the country and strongly relaunches the unity of the center-right in view of the next electoral appointment, the European elections in June 2024.
Giorgia Meloni rejoices: «We have achieved good results and some victories that could be defined as historic, such as in Ancona, confirming the fact that there are no longer any strongholds. The centre-right - continues the premier - wins these administrative elections and confirms its consensus among the Italians, its roots, its strength. I thank all the citizens who have chosen to place their trust in the centre-right by rewarding our good governance, our proposals and our pragmatism". "There is no denying it: an excellent Schlein Effect," jokes the leader of the League, Matteo Salvini.
The dem leader admits defeat : «It is a clear defeat. The wind in favor of the right - explains Elly Schlein - is still strong and is still there. We knew it would be difficult, it takes time to build a successful centre-left. The fact that the Democratic Party is the first party in the list vote is no consolation. He then launches an appeal to the other forces to collaborate: «It is clear that you cannot win alone. An alternative camp needs to be reconstructed, which credibly contends with the right for victory. But the responsibility for building this field - he underlines - does not concern only the Democratic Party. It went badly in the capitals, it went better in the medium-sized municipalities ».
SICILY – In Sicily the centre-right wins the challenge with the progressive area. The majority that governs the country conquers Catania , where Enrico Trantino wins hands down against Maurizio Caserta (centre-left) with the ballot still in progress. In Syracuse , the coalition sends Ferdinando Messina to the ballot, who will have to deal with the outgoing Francesco Italia (Third pole) while Renata Giunta, candidate of the progressives, is only third. In Ragusa , Giuseppe Cassì (about 60%) is reconfirmed for the civic, who is behind Riccardo Schininà (Pd) at around 19%, Giovanni Cultrera (center-right) with 12% and Sergio Firrinceli (M5s) with around 9%. In Trapani the victory of the outgoing Giacomo Tranchida is almost certain, supported by ten civic lists, some with candidates from the Democratic Party and the Lega, parties that have given up their symbol because they are split internally. Cateno De Luca is confirmed as an electoral star performer: having arrived behind Renato Schifani at the regional elections in Sicily last year, the leader of the South calls to the North who managed to get two parliamentarians elected to the Chamber and the Senate, he is the new mayor in Taormina . In the 128 municipalities voting in Sicily, the turnout was 56.39 percent. Overall, 756,144 citizens voted out of the 1,340,983 eligible citizens.
VICENZA – Giacomo Possamai wins in Vicenza, the "enfant prodige" of the Veneto center-left, capable of wresting the Berici capital from the center-right. An unexpected victory on the coward, in front of the outgoing mayor Francesco Rucco, but appeared close after the first round, where Possamai had already prevailed. The ballot was played on a difference of about 500 votes, but from the beginning of the counting it appeared that the challenger's advantage was solid and it did not diminish until the last seat.
"I thank everyone for these extraordinary months, we have done an incredible thing," said Possamai, greeting his supporters at the coalition headquarters as soon as he was certain of victory.
In the "Veneto di Zaia" four out of seven capitals are now governed by the centre-left.
THE OTHERS – Massa : Francesco Persiani (Lega, Fi, civic) sees his reconfirmation as mayor of Massa against centre-left opponent Enzo Romolo Ricci. Siena : Nicoletta Fabio, center-right candidate, is mayor with 52.16% of the vote. Therefore, the centre-left candidate Anna Ferretti has been defeated. Pisa : Michele Conti, center-right candidate, wins the ballot against Paolo Martinelli, center-left candidate. Ancona : After more than 30 years of center-left administrations, the center-right wins with Daniele Silvetti who won the ballot against the outgoing councilor of the dem council, Ida Simonella. Silvetti, 50 years to go, lawyer, president of the Conero Park, prevailed with 51.73% of the votes over Simonella (48.27%), detaching her by about 1,400 votes. Terni: Stefano Bandecchi is officially the new mayor of Terni, with 54.62 percent of the vote. The current president of Ternana and patron of Unicusano overtook the centre-right coalition with mayoral candidate Orlando Masselli in the ballot, which stopped at 45.38 percent of the vote. Bandecchi thus overturned the result of the first round when he had obtained 28.14 of the votes against his opponent's 35.81. Toast : Giuseppe Marchionna, center-right candidate, wins against Roberto Fusco, center-left candidate, with 53.99 percent of the vote.
(Unioneonline)