Personalities and elections in Europe and in Bergamo, the introduction of ostracism in ancient Athens

On an Athenian morning, the news reaches me that the Prime Minister will be the leader in all the constituencies for the European elections. She won’t be alone. Many leaders of the majority and of the opposition will also present themselves as leaders, some willingly, others out of necessity, obtorto collo.

The news comes as I stand in front of the terracotta “shards” (ostracon) of particular democratic votes in ancient 5th century Athens. It was a rule, we would say today, of governance, designed to protect the City against those aspiring to a despotic, anti-democratic power who were expatriated.
Never has there been a happier coincidence to remember that, often, forms of personalization of the political struggle emptied the meaning of elections which should deal with contents and ideas, in short with projects which are the reason for the existence of a Community.

At European level I would like to point out the beautiful document by Confindustria , “Factory Europe”, https://www.confindustria.it//home/policy/position-paper/dettaglio/fabbrica-europa, which however, as also happened in the past, does not find the right space in the Confindustria and political debates compared to the easy anti-Green Deal polemics and the postures, which in ancient Athens would have led to writing some names of politicians and perhaps even of industrial colleagues on the “shards” mentioned above. To exercise that rule, 6,000 voters were needed. The name with the largest number of “votes” against him was forced to leave Athens for ten years. This way democracy could be protected.

Even more so in the party system or political and administrative elections if the leadership makes a name prevail over the contents, the risk of a slippery slope that moves away from democratic rules grows.

The electoral system of the Municipalities with the mayoral candidate (which pushes someone to want something similar at a national level even with presidential proposals) has a similar drift. You can even see on the electoral symbols the names of deceased people (I am referring to Berlusconi for the lists for the European elections, with the subtitle president…) or of administrators whose mandate has ended (I am referring to Gori for the elections in Bergamo in a civic list with more letters large compared to the current candidate…). Then we heard the only proper name to be indicated in the form proposed, so will we arrive at a single capital letter like the famous “M” of the twenty-year period?
The ostracism rule didn’t work for long and became the wrong instrument, as rules sometimes happen. Personalities such as Pericles and Themistocles were indicated in the shards, the former without success, the latter ostracized despite great victories such as that of Salamis.

The rules, when they exist, must still be respected and the balance of powers must express methods for changes that guarantee the democratic stability of participation in political life, accepting mistakes, but never oppressing freedom.

* Andrea MoltrasioIndustrialist, former president of Confindustria Bergamo and of the Supervisory Board of Ubi Banca