They come from places like Leonforte, Tivoli, Acerra, Lucera, Caserta, and Benevento: southern Italy, mostly. None were born or live in Ballao and Goni. Yet it is in these two towns that the lists of candidates for mayor and city council were filed, made up of "foreigners" affiliated with "Progetto Popolare," led by Luca Tordella, born in Colleferro 61 years ago: "They're all our members. They ask us to nominate them. And we nominate them," he says irritably over the phone. The question was simple: why is he running for local elections in small towns, in Sardinia and elsewhere, with people who have nothing to do with those territories? There are also military personnel. Or at least workers in certain sectors, who simply for being candidates are entitled to 30 days' leave of absence: "Still with this story? These are people who tell us they have interests and votes in the communities," Tordella says, adding: "What kind of work do they do? There's privacy."
The lists
There are actually two lists for Ballao. They are called "Together" and "Popular Project." The former is led by aspiring mayor Gianluca Garau, a Sardinian surname born in Rome. The "mayor" of the latter is Rosario Milo, a forty-seven-year-old from Nocera Inferiore, in the province of Salerno. The list was filed by Tordella's father, Luca, and his son Marco. According to reports, the elder of the two also ran the municipal elections in Goni, where "their" mayoral candidate is Francesco Raucci: here too, the candidates' surnames range from "Esposito" to "Salerno."
The attempts
Tordella is no stranger to these operations. His name also appeared in the 2012 elections in Serri, where he received three votes. He is now running for the highest seat in the municipality of Montelanico, in the metropolitan area of Rome. His movement's inroads into several small towns in the Aosta Valley last summer, however, failed. Finding out only at the last minute that they needed to collect signatures, his supporters tried, but someone called the police. Rumors had it that Tordella was offering money in exchange for signatures. But he flatly denied the accusations: "I just paid for coffees," he explained.
The reactions
It's pointless to ask what the program is, for example, for Ballao: "We've submitted it to the Prefecture," assures the man responsible for the repeated candidacies. And woe betide anyone who asks him what might be a way to promote Flumendosa: he hangs up before you can determine if he knows what he's talking about.
"It's a legalized disgrace," says outgoing mayor Chicco Frongia, someone who knows the area inside out. "Some of these gentlemen," the mayor says, "have already requested a certificate of candidacy: will they use it to take leave of absence?" Frongia is furious: "Everything is permitted by Italian law, but people who don't care about the area show up here. And if they happen to get into the council, we'll have to pay for their travel expenses. It's all legal: a disgrace."