Michele Laforgia, 62 years old, is one of the best-known lawyers in Bari. For months he has been a candidate for mayor of the city, supported by the “Convention for Bari” group, which includes the Italian Left and M5S.
At the polls the center-left will have two candidates, you and Vito Leccese. Why haven’t you found a summary?
The fact that in the progressive camp there are different sensitivities, cultures and political positions, not only in Bari and Puglia, should not surprise anyone. After that I never understood why the Democratic Party didn’t want to converge on our proposal: it wasn’t explained to me but I had to take note of it. They certainly couldn’t force me to step aside.
So the right is favored.
With two candidates it is certainly more likely to reach the run-off, but also to induce more voters to go to the polls. I hope so.
With Leccese you have a collaboration agreement for the second round. In case of victory, will one of the two be deputy mayor of the other?
I have already said that if I were to win the deputy mayor would be a woman. We said something else, namely that whoever prevails will guarantee representation and participation in the other coalition, but it is not a given that these are the current mayoral candidates.
In hindsight, was canceling the primaries the right choice?
I would say obliged and prudent after what had happened that morning, three days before the vote: the arrest of the coordinator of one of the political movements that would have participated in the primaries. You couldn’t pretend nothing had happened, also out of respect for the voters. And it wasn’t Conte’s decision: since the morning I had proposed that we all decide on a suspension together.
Conte, however, was decisive.
For others, not for me. The 5S leader expressed his opinion in the afternoon, but beforehand we were all worried and convinced that we had to give a signal. I had proposed suspending them, with a joint statement by the two candidates, and in the end, instead, a split in the broad camp took place even at a national level: a serious mistake.
The 5S leader intervened aggressively in Bari. Has he compressed the autonomy of the city’s political forces?
Certainly not mine. I am not Conte’s candidate and I am not from the 5s. They arrived later, when I had already been proposed by the Convention and had received Nichi Vendola’s endorsement.
At a national level the idea of a Pd-5S clash has now passed, and you are their candidate.
In Bari no one thinks this. I have a known history, always on the left. My association, Giusta Causa, has been in the field for years.
The Italian left may no longer support it.
It would surprise me. Vendola was one of the first to support my candidacy. Since then the conditions have not changed, on the contrary, they have strengthened.
Have the investigations of these two months tarnished the image of the center-left of Bari and Puglia? What hasn’t worked in these years of government? What would you change if you were mayor?
Some things did not go very well, and I am thinking above all of the management of the investee companies: the investigations show how in some cases they escaped the control of the Municipality. We need management that is up to the role. But there is also a need for a change of pace in the relationship between center and periphery. There are neighborhoods of the city that have been left behind, we need to reduce inequalities and work towards a fairer city.
What worked instead?
The city overall was well administered, on some issues such as welfare, councilor Francesca Bottalico did an excellent job, in particular on social marginalization: an example at a national level. The city has managed to attract public and private investments, which we need to work on for the future.
The investigations tell of a Bari in disarray.
It seems silly to me. We must distinguish reality from narrative. In recent years the center-left has offered a somewhat watered-down story of a city where everyone is happy and everything was fine. In fact we have been a little less good: there are phenomena from which the center-left must free itself, starting with transformism. But Bari is not besieged by malfeasance, corruption and crime.
Why should a left-wing voter choose her?
Because I’m on the left, and always have been. And because the center-left needs a strong renewal that concerns people, methods and contents. The proposal from Leccese, former chief of staff of Mayor Decaro, is a purely conservative choice.
Has Emiliano’s political model, which was also based on the idea of being able to bring in centre-right pieces, exhausted?
In Bari and Puglia a cycle that lasted twenty years came to an end, with many lights and some shadows. There have been phenomena of transformationism and non-virtuous exchange between the transfer of consensus and government roles. A new beginning is needed, based on the coherence and credibility of the political proposal, involving forces in the city that have remained on the margins in recent years. We must free ourselves from subjection to those who carry votes.
Before the investigations this system suited almost everyone.
It is not true. For years, and not alone, I have criticized this system. Now things seem to happen all at once, but crises don’t arise suddenly.
What do you suggest to Emiliano who is dealing with the reshuffle of the council?
Emiliano doesn’t need my suggestions, but he needs a radical change of pace, not make-up. A crisis can become an opportunity. The center-right defectors allowed the majority to be maintained, but they affected the government’s action.
Could the return of the 5S to the council help?
Since 2020 they have been part of the majority, I don’t think their return is enough. Today issues that perhaps should have been addressed earlier are coming to light. We said it.
Tags: Laforgia Bari radical change
