Those who go to the seaside or to the mountains today went to the polls yesterday afternoon. And here the flow was unexpectedly lively.
Especially in those 55 Municipalities where the European vote was accompanied by the administrative one (average turnout over 16%), including the four centers with over 15 thousand inhabitants: Vittorio Veneto, Mogliano, Paese and Preganziol.
Higher turnouts a Morgano and Preganziol, which reach 21%, but Mogliano and Caerano also see 20%: in practice, one voter in five has already voted. There were 5 minutes left until 3pm, opening time, and Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto Region, was already positioned for the first electoral crosses (he and his wife), at the San Vedemiano polling station.
Moments of tension instead at the polling station Pezzan of Carbonera, where the candidate Cristiana Sparvoli, a member of Action in the centre-left camp, discovered that inside the polling station there were leaflets supporting the Lega and centre-right candidate, Federica Ortolan, who had also just left the polling station.
Sparvoli proceeded to report the episode to the police forces present at the polling station (Financial Police), who removed the flyers and drew up a report on the episode.
Sparvoli denounces the violation of electoral rulesas any form of propaganda is prohibited inside the polling stations, while her entourage points out that the outgoing Northern League mayor did not take steps to do so, having certainly noticed the clearly visible flyers.
Opened at 5pm, the polls closed at 11pm, this morning they will reopen at 7am for the final stop at 11pm. Then the counting of the European ballots; tomorrow, from 2pm, the municipal ones. More than 740 thousand people from Treviso were called to indicate their representatives in Brussels and possibly (in this case there are just over 400 thousand) for their municipalities.
There are 126 mayoral candidates and they count on the support of a total of 156 lists, with 694 candidates for councilor. As for the numerous municipalities with only one candidate, those who do not exceed the quorum of 40% will go to commissioners.
There, however, where the feat is successful, the mayor will still have to wait for tomorrow’s vote to understand whether the blank ballots will not be so numerous as to invalidate the election. In Vittorio Veneto, the four candidates for the highest seat went to their polls every half hour: Gianluca Posocco at 3.30 pm in Carpesica, Mirella Balliana at 4 pm in via Parravicini, Luisa Camatta at 4.30 pm in via De Nadai, Giovanni Braido at 5.15 pm at the schools Pastures.
“It seems to me that the turnout can be considered satisfactory”, was the comment of Balliana, an expression of the centre-left, after having noted the situation in some Vittoria seats. «It’s true, I saw more young people than usual – admitted competitor Posocco, allied with Toni Da Re and Forza Italia, also in Vittorio – and also people who had deserted the vote in the previous rounds». However, it is too early to say that abstentionism is going against the trend. «I am here, from the first minute, to give a signal – commented Zaia, as he left the polling station – Not that there is historically a great enthusiasm for the European elections, but I hope that it grows more and more given and considering that then Europe can not only influence us but also improve or ruin our lives.
We must be leading actors and not simply extras.” Five years ago, for the European elections, the percentage of voters was above 50%. The fear is that it will go down, despite the support of the municipal authorities. In Vittorio Veneto and Mogliano there will probably be a run-off in 15 days. And in this regard Giovanni Braido, candidate from Vittoria of the Lega and Fi, as well as other lists, admitted concern that participation could be further reduced towards the end of June.
