We can arrive at the name of a candidate by July, but Bologna, thanks to the result at the European elections, must now be able to have its say. Mayor Matteo Lepore, interviewed last night, Thursday 12 June, in Patrizia Finucci Gallo’s living room at the Guercino hotel, claims the centrality of the Emilian capital in the game for choosing the name of the candidate for the autumn regional elections. And he claims it thanks to the numbers obtained at the polls last week.
The Region and relations with Bologna
Lepore doesn’t name any candidates yet (and reiterates: «I’m not running, I want an encore in Bologna»), but he sends the message loud and clear to his party on the role he wants to have in the discussion that opens: «I don’t I am interested in the territorial claims of Northern League members and I would also ask my party not to let them prevail in the discussion, but now it would be Bologna’s turn, because there hasn’t been a Bolognese president for thirty years and this is a political question.” Politics and not parochialism. In short, Lepore asks his team: «I am interested in knowing what relationships we want to have with Bologna from a territorial point of view, because we have open questions that are typical of Bologna such as the right to housing, local public transport, the Tecnopolo, the economy (given that we are the engine of development of the region and of a part of Italy), healthcare. The candidate may not have a Bologna identity card, but he must tell us what he wants to do with Bologna on these central themes. I will support candidates who demonstrate that they are up to the task and have courage on these issues.” Then there is the internal debate within the Democratic Party: «Bologna, only the capital I mean, took 10% of the Democratic Party’s votes in this round of the European elections; if we also add the metropolitan area, we are shareholders and quite a lot.”
«SA courageous project is needed»
What is certain is that names are already circulating: rumors suggest they are favourites Michele De Pascale, mayor of Ravenna who played a key role during the flood, and Vincenzo Colla, Councilor for Productive Development in the Region. Both Bonaccinians, however, they are also appreciated by Schlein. “I respect Colla and De Pascale – says Lepore -, they are very valid people who can address the central issues, I will support the candidates who demonstrate that they are up to the task on these issues”. But there are also “many outgoing or current mayors, as well as many good and good outgoing councillors, there is a new generation in the field…”. Of course, the time needed to launch the “Program Factory” to identify the best candidate, as the mayor requests, is decidedly tight. «You can already start having meetings and you can do it right away in many ways, but a courageous project is certainly needed. We cannot give the idea that we are taking things that were done before, photocopying them and carrying them forward.” Primary yes or no? «I’m interested in seeing a name available to discuss the central issues for Emilia-Romagna, who has the courage of Schlein and the strength to be among Bonaccini’s people. If you decide to hold primaries, there is time between now and September, otherwise the management group will take on the responsibility of naming a name, it can be decided in a few weeks, as long as it is not a name dropped from above that he comes to tell us what to do. The important thing is that everything is not already decided.”
The ballots in the province
He glosses over the (thorny) issues that arose within the Democratic Party after the electoral result which brought the Dems to the run-off in Casalecchio, Pianoro, Castel Maggiore. Specifically on Casalecchio, where the PD candidate Matteo Ruggeri will face the civic Dario Braga in two weeks, Lepore dampens the controversy: «There is a ballot underway, the internal discussion will take place later, I am of the opinion that we all make mistakes together or we all win together. Now it’s a matter of campaigning with our candidates and winning these ballots, quality proposals must be supported, Ruggeri has every chance of making it.” Problems with Civic Coalition because it supported Braga? “No problem, a local choice that we haven’t discussed.”
