Five years of government may be a short time. But ten is a long time, which the clear victory of Alberto Cirio in the elections of 8-9 June puts in the hands of the Piedmontese centre-right to face and resolve the emergencies of the Region, starting from the very serious one of Healthcare. Cirio’s re-election and his solid majority are a great result, but also a great responsibility, because there are no more alibis.
Compared to the dramatic situation facing the Piedmontese healthcare system – which is the true and main competence of the Region, absorbing 80% of the budget – Cirio made the promise to resolve and at least significantly correct the most urgent problems. The President will take action with the consent of 56.13% of voters. Its majority (a coalition composed of Fratelli d’Italia, Lega, Forza Italia and Cirio Civic List) obtained 30 regional councilors, to which Cirio himself is added for a total of 31 councilors out of the total of 50. It is a very broad, recognized to the President-elect so that he can govern with efficiency and good stability.
It is this majority that is entrusted with the solution to the problems that are bringing the Piedmontese public health system to its knees. Cirio bis will have to remedy the interminable waiting times in public hospitals and clinics (months and months to obtain a diagnostic test or surgery). It is a question of justice: wealthy citizens overcome waiting lists by turning to private, paid clinics; but the poor cannot afford it and so they wait, they wait, at the cost of worsening their illness.
It will be up to Cirio to stop the escape of doctors and nurses from public hospitals. The white coats are upset by their work pace due to the hiring freeze. Throngs of doctors and nurses are abandoning public facilities and moving to private ones or migrating abroad. We must stop the escape and reverse the trend.
Cirio bis will still have to remedy the problem of the health insurance doctors, who are no longer there. Too many general practitioners – particularly paediatricians – retire without being replaced: they leave entire territories without service, thousands and thousands of patients.
Finally: it will be up to Cirio to finally send to the construction site the hospitals that have been awaited for decades in various areas of Piedmont. In Turin, the City of Health and the new Maria Vittoria hospital are the symbols of a paralyzed and inconclusive healthcare system.
The opposition. An opposition of 20 councilors who emerged defeated at the polls will sit in the Regional Council: they will be able to prod the Administration, but they will not have the numbers to hinder the government’s action. Gianna Pentenero, the defeated challenger in the centre-left, stopped at 33.54% of personal votes (she brings with her to the Council the Democratic Party, the Green Left Alliance, the United States of Europe), the long-distance challenger of the Five Star Movement Sarah Disabato with 7.68%.
Who goes up and who goes down. The regional elections decreed the almost equal success of two opposing parties: the Brothers of Italy in the centre-right (24.43%) and the Democratic Party in the centre-left (23.93%). They are the two main political forces in Piedmont.
The performance of the Brothers of Italy is several points lower than the result obtained by this same party in the vote for the European Parliament (30.4%). In the regional vote, the decline in preferences of the Brothers of Italy is due to a strong transfer of votes in favor of the Civic List for Cirio President, which totaled 12.23%.
In the centre-right, Forza Italia (9.85%), Lega (9.40%) and Noi Moderati (0.69%) follow at a distance.
In the centre-left, the Green Alliance and the Left (6.48%), United States of Europe for Piedmont (2.43%), Civic List for Pentenero (1.50%) and environmentalist Piedmont Civic List (0.88%).
The Five Star Movement received 6.04% of the votes, the Piemonte Popolare list 1.17%, the Libertà Piemonte list 0.97%.
Elected to the Regional Council. In the ranks of the majority, the Fratelli d’Italia list obtained 11 seats, the Cirio Civic List 5, Forza Italia 4, and the League 4. To these must be added the seat of the elected president Alberto Cirio and 6 names coming from the “list” designated with the majority method: Elena Chiorino (Fratelli d’Italia), Fabio Carosso (Lega), Annalisa Beccaria (Forza Italia), Maurizio Marrone (Fratelli of Italy), Gianna Gancia (Lega) and Marco Gabusi (Forza Italia).
In the ranks of the minority there will be 13 councilors from the Democratic Party, 3 from the Green Left Alliance, 1 from the United States of Europe, 3 from the Five Star Movement.
Below are all the names.
CENTER-RIGHT – Brothers of Italy: Maurizio Marrone, Davide Nicco, Roberto Ravello, Marina Bordese, Paola Antonetto, Federico Riboldi, Sergio Ebarnabo, Davide Zappalà, Paolo Bongioanni, Marina Chiarelli, Carlo Riva Vercellotti. Cirio Civic List: Silvio Magliano, Sergio Bartoli, Mario Salvatore Castello, Elena Rocchi, Marco Gallo. Forza Italia: Andrea Tronzano, Paolo Ruzzola, Marco Gabusi, Francesco Graglia. League: Fabrizio Ricca, Andrea Cerutti, Federico Bussalino, Luigi Genesio Icardi.
CENTER LEFT – Democratic party: Gianna Pentenero, Mauro Salizzoni, Monica Canalis, Daniele Valle, Alberto Avetta, Nadia Conticelli, Francesco Casciano, Domenico Ravetti, Fabio Isnardi, Emanuela Verzella, Mauro Calderoni, Domenico Rossi, Simona Paonessa. Left Green Alliance: Alice Ravinale, Valentina Cera, Giulia Marro. United States of Europe: Vittoria Nallo. 5 Star Movement: Sarah Disabato, Alberto Unia, Pasquale Coluccio.
