by Daniele Bovi
Come what may, for the first time Perugia will have a mayor. For the first time in the republican history of the city, the political scene is occupied by two women, Margherita Scoccia and Vittoria Ferdinandi. Both daughters of the Perugian bourgeoisie but different from each other. The approach is different, the coalitions are different – one centre-right and the other centre-left – the ideal horizons are very different.
Clarity An element of clarity that is good for the city. Perugia, which goes to the vote over the weekend, and perhaps even in two weeks for the run-off, does so without knowing who will win unlike five years ago. Something absolutely unthinkable until a few months ago. The fact that the city is contestable and that there is competition are two healthy factors for the political and social fabric of the city.
PERUGIA, WHAT THE RESULTS OF THE LAST 15 YEARS SAY
THE MAP: VOTERS IN PERUGIA DISTRICT BY DISTRICT
The contenders The story – also in the media – of this Perugian electoral campaign changed between the end of January and the beginning of February. The center-right decided some time ago to bet everything on Margherita Scoccia. The FdI Urban Planning councilor who represents a continuity that is first anthropological and then political with Andrea Romizi. In short, romizismo without Romizi.
THE POLITICAL MAP OF UMBRIA
Ferdinandi The center-left, however, is still screwed on itself. A few names are going around – the most accredited is that of Professor Paolo Belardi – then that of 37-year-old Vittoria Ferdinandi comes out of the coalition hat, while there were those who imagined, especially in the Democratic Party, reckless political triple jumps, such as those of nominating pieces of the centre-right government to defeat the centre-right, which over the years has been joined by pieces of the old centre-left nomenklatura.
ADMINISTRATIVE ELECTIONS, HOW TO VOTE
Change everything From that moment everything changes. Many, even among her opponents, realize that the 37-year-old Ferdinandi has all the right numbers and that she will be a tough nut to crack. Empathy, ability to arouse passion and enthusiasm. She alone managed to revive and mobilize a world that seemed resigned to defeat; her to give him a horizon. Words that seemed to have disappeared as an emotion, never to be underestimated in politics, are once again appearing in the mouths of many people. And – on both sides – real people also return to the squares and neighborhoods, until Ferdinandi’s closure in Piazza IV Novembre: «Something like that – an old militant tells the reporter – I only remember for Pietro Conti and Pietro Ingrao”. An entrance onto the pitch, that of Ferdinandi, which ended up polarizing the match extremely, taking away space for everything else.
PERUGIA, HOW MUCH AN ELECTION CAMPAIGN COST
Previous For the Perugian centre-right, this is in fact the first “real” electoral campaign. In 2014 the worst result in the history of the direct election of mayors arrived in the first round, then in the second round the tiredness towards a long season of government, the opportunity for a healthy turnover, a successful candidate and the internal feud within the Democratic Party have done the rest. In 2019 the result had been a foregone conclusion for months: no broad coalition, center-left with a weak candidate, rampant League and Pd crippled by Concorsopoli; the only point of interest was to understand what the internal relations between the League and Progetto Perugia would be within the Romizi bis. And in recent weeks there have been several people on this side who have been talking about “a lottery” regarding the weekend’s vote.
EUROPEAN, ONLY SIX UMBRIAN ELECTED IN 40 YEARS
List factor Compared to 2019 this time it is very different. Margherita Scoccia has focused heavily on a certain pragmatism of doing, of works, of resources and of continuity – albeit in innovation as was once said in the Party – with the Romizi season; Vittoria Ferdinandi was able to involve, warm up and mobilize as probably none of the other potential candidates would have been able to do. The wind of enthusiasm is blowing from one side, but whether it is enough to win is far from a given. Scoccia is the favored party for a long series of reasons: one of these is the list factor, built well in advance and after having governed for a decade, establishing relationships and establishing consensus in the city. And the lists in an administrative election are a decisive factor: in a hypothetical run-off – which the centre-right wants to avoid at all costs – this driving force would be greatly weakened.
The alternative On the other side of the barricade we will see whether it will be a repeat of Nenni’s classic adage of full squares and empty ballot boxes. The undeniable fact is that something happened in these parts. And this is why if Ferdinandi’s coalition is defeated, capacity, foresight and fresh forces will be needed to not squander the experience of these months and build an alternative; also in this case, unlike the past, it would be a healthy factor for democracy and city life.
The regional ones Finally, the Perugian vote will represent a sort of barometer in view of the autumn, when the Umbrians will return to the polls to elect president and regional councilors. What happens here – in a Perugia where the outgoing mayor wants to gain strong momentum in view of the regional elections – will also have inevitable consequences for the coming months, starting with the choice of candidates. In short, fasten your seatbelts.
