Municipal elections of 8 and 9 June, less than two weeks for the presentation of candidacies for the office of mayor of Potenza. The coalitions and parties are hard at work, the centre-right is aiming for Guarente bis, but there is no agreement on the candidate in the centre-left. Also in the field is Volt, a movement led by journalist Eustachio Follia which aims at urban revitalization and inclusion of young people. These are hectic days in the political parties in Basilicata that are trying to make a synthesis to find an agreement on the name of the candidate for mayor who will lead the city for the next five years. The centre-right, having overcome the friction within the majority, presents a common front for the outgoing mayor Mario Guarente (Lega).
In recent days the majority councilors (except the Northern League members) have deserted the City Council session as a sign of protest against Guarente’s re-nomination “decided by Rome”. Now, once the crisis has passed, we are thinking about preparing the electoral campaign. Remaining in the center-right alignment, it remains to be seen whether we will try to retrace the model of the recent regional elections with the expansion to center parties, such as Action and Italia Viva.
The center-left seems intent on betting on the wide field, aiming for a broad coalition of parties, where alongside the Pd and Five Star there could also be various civic forces including Basilicata Casa Comune, a team led by the king of the coops Angelo Chiorazzo. After numerous meetings, however, no synthesis has yet been reached.
The names in the field: Vincenzo Telesca, supported by the majority of the Democratic Party, and the lawyer Pierluigi Smaldone leading the civic movement “Potenza Ritorna”. Smaldone launched his candidacy already last autumn with a program for the city of Potenza which focuses on the relaunch of the historic center and the greenery of the city. It is not excluded that the lawyer, if an agreement is not reached, could go it alone.
The pan-European Volt party, led by journalist Eustachio Follia, has also officially announced its participation in the race for the position of mayor. After the experience of the last regional elections, Volt intends to consolidate its presence in Basilicata. And it does so by betting especially on young people. The main themes of its program are the well-being of citizens, the increase in youth participation and the strengthening of the institutional role of the city of Potenza in Southern Italy. Furthermore, Volt seems willing to “explore possible alliances to strengthen the party’s proposal to the citizens of Potenza”. The objective is “to present voters with a serious, credible and innovative political proposal, which can concretely contribute to the relaunch of the Lucanian capital”.
