Oscar Serra 12.05pm Friday 03 May 2024
A region that has become a land of conquest in view of the next European elections. Candidates from Lombardy and even Liguria have already secured the major vote collectors, while among the locals there are those who are banking on an exploit of the “young” Accossato. Yesterday’s (sad) meeting in Turin
Three Lombard candidates welcomed with full honors by the political and institutional leaders of the PD Piedmontese. The table set up yesterday at the meeting center in Corso Belgio, in the Vanchiglietta district of Turin, with Giorgio Gori, Irene Tinagli And Pierfrancesco Maran, is the photograph of a territory that has become a land of conquest in view of the next European elections, with its notables and viceroys bowing after months of internal struggles to an electorally stronger and even more organized ruling class. Alongside the three, in the role of sparring partners, were the mayor Stefano Lo Russothe secretary of the subalpine federation Marcello Mazzù and the candidate for president of the Region Gianna Pentenero. In front of an audience of twenty-nine people, including staff members.
While in the clubs, armed with a lot of good will, the militants await holy cards and presentations of the Piedmontese candidates (Antonella Parigi, Davide Mattiello, Luca Jahier and Elena Accossato), the party leaders already align themselves with the heavyweights arriving from Milan and above all from Bergamo. For a year Mayor Gori has been campaigning far and wide throughout Piedmont, forming strategic alliances with the main preference collectors of the area that he had supported Stefano Bonaccinistarting with the deputy Mauro Lausthe vice president of the Regional Council Daniel Valleyhis colleagues Alberto Avettawhich also brought him to his Cossano and other initiatives in the Canavese area, and the Alessandria Mimmo Ravetti. They are only the front line of an “army” that can count on many mayors of the populous Turin hinterland (the first citizens of Settimo Torinese, Grugliasco, Moncalieri, Nichelino placed themselves on his side) as well as managers and administrators scattered throughout the region . He is considered among the strongest candidates in the North-West, the one who, despite being able to count on the strongholds of Bergamo and Brescia, has been able to extend his network throughout his region and above all beyond Ticino.
A sparkling campaign is being carried out by Maran, a Milanese councilor who can count on a privileged relationship with Lo Russo. It was Maran who whispered the name in his ear Paolo Mazzoleni, when the newly elected mayor was looking for a technician to whom he could entrust the Urban Planning responsibilities. And it is precisely Mazzoleni who is blamed for the poor success of yesterday’s evening: “If he had at least notified the club we would have organized ourselves and brought a few people” says a disheartened militant. The councilor of Beppe Salathe most voted in the Milan administrative elections with over 9 thousand preferences, is touring the Lombardy provinces with “Le cittàvisibili”, a theatrical adaptation by Matteo Grandi of a book written by Maran at the end of his first term as councilor. Last night, however, no theatre: he concluded his Turin tour at Livella, for a pizza with a delegation of CISL trade unionists.
Strong, structured candidatures, in an arena in which only four, maximum five candidates will emerge victorious, depending on the result of the Democratic Party. In addition to Gori and Maran, the reformist area can count on the economist Tinagli, outgoing MEP and president of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Commission of the Brussels parliament. Five years ago he had enjoyed the support of Carlo Calenda And Matteo Renzi, before the two landed on other shores: now he is among the most popular Italian MEPs, but “those who think like her no longer vote for the Democratic Party” point out some present in the room. Perhaps she does not have an organized network, like others, but she is the one who could obtain the most opinion votes, since the vote for her would be the vote of those who want to remain in the Democratic Party, but she thinks it is profoundly different from that of Elly Schlein.
In a year and a half the Piedmontese party has not managed to identify a strong candidate on which to consolidate its consensus, too focused on the regional match, which, moreover, became increasingly difficult as time passed. From the choice of the best candidate we moved on to a gang war which resulted in the cancellation of the entire front line of the party. In the beginning it was supposed to be Chiara Gribaudothird-term deputy, vice-president of the national party, friend and territorial representative of Schlein, then decided to run for president of the Region, now she finds herself acting as a water carrier for Cecilia Strada, the leader wanted by the secretary, who is mobilizing all her people to ensure her election. A large part of the left wing of the party should converge on her, who also has an eye on Brando Benifei, another outgoing MEP from La Spezia, the only one capable of stemming Lombard hegemony. In Piedmont his reference is the former councilor of Piero Fassino,Enzo Lavolta and he aims to fish partly from the former diessina base and partly from the Young Democrats network through which he had already established a friendship with Valle some time ago. Both are a little older, but they have never lost sight of each other too much.
And then there is the popular area which until a few days before the presentation of the lists could count on Fabio Pizzulleader of the Democratic Party in the Lombardy Regional Council, while thanks to the exemption granted at the last minute to the outgoing Patrizia Toia, now he can count on her too. Pizzul has already activated the popular network for months, both in his region and outside: in Piedmont the regional councilor is working for him Monica Canalis and the former parliamentarian Stefano Leprieven if Jahier’s presence could intercept a part of the votes linked to the third sector and the cooperative world, among which he could have made a plunder.
Among the other Piedmontese it is difficult to expect surprises, even if there are those who are ready to bet on an exploit of Elena Accossatoregional secretary of the Young Democrats, expert in European projects on which she works at the Polytechnic, a degree in International Sciences from the University and above all a transversal group that is giving her a hand.
