End of fair play: the climate is heating up between the two centre-left contenders in the Bari municipal elections. Michele Laforgia: «We cannot afford to be relegated to a dissolved Municipality due to mafia infiltration and for this reason – says the candidate of the 5 Star Movement and the widespread left – he is asking for the vote by evoking the dissolution, we have the vote available for the candidate and the candidates other than those we have had so far, for a profound renewal of the municipal council, for a new political class”. The reply of Vito Leccese is very harsh: «The specter of dissolution is that the centre-right has been waving like a truncheon throughout the electoral campaign. Now I see that the truncheon has passed from Gasparri’s hands to those of Laforgia.” The former parliamentarian supported by the Democratic Party, the Greens and the Civic Party continues: «I must say that it is sad to see a person with his political culture who, after having participated in the street demonstration in support of Antonio Decaro against the commission’s blitz, at this point he stoops to repeating the threats of the right. But we will get over it and continue to move forward with a smile.”
The question and answer is the continuation of a day characterized by the visit of the five-star president Giuseppe Conte: «On 8 and 9 June we will vote for the European elections but also for the Municipality – said the former prime minister, who during his day in Bari visited the San Paolo district and the Anchecinema theater – and we support Michele Laforgia, we believe he is the right renewal for the progressive coalition. Therefore we can enhance the administrative experience that has concluded, but also relaunch the right elements of renewal. And above all, wage a great battle for legality and transparency with Laforgia.”
The president of the 5 Star Movement then launched an appeal: «You in Bari have seen the scandals firsthand, what level of contamination politics has reached with malfeasance, can you remain indifferent? You want to remain indifferent to the mafia political exchange vote, with the tariffs to buy the vote. There is a solution: how many of you are in this San Paolo neighborhood, 25 thousand? Imagine that you convince those who are not thinking about the importance of this vote, that the San Paolo neighborhood goes to vote en masse, so if you decide to go and vote en masse, can you pay 50 euros for a vote? This system is based on abstentionism, if we go to vote en masse the bought vote will count for nothing.” To the right of Conte “we are heading towards austerity: in Europe the Stability Pact is leading us towards a cut of 13 billion. They will let us vote first and then they will prepare the new budget law. Where do you think they will get those 13 billion? When you vote you must remember this, then don’t tell me President help us, because I told you. When we go to vote it will be: yes to austerity, no to austerity.”
The former prime minister is also convinced of the great importance of the vote for the European elections: «The 5 Star Movement – he added – predicts that it will be decisive for the new European Commission, because the risk is that there will be a stalemate between the current forces which are in coalition and the conservative forces. Our votes will be decisive for the progressive coalition.”
