No resemblance in the run-off elections in the Aversa municipal elections. And rightly so. Sunday 23 and Monday 24 June will be a duel between Franco Matecena (civic coalition) and Antonio Farinaro (centre-right). After a week from the first round we can make a cold-minded analysis of the vote on the great losers of the Norman administrative elections: Mauro Baldascino and the centre-left. For the mayoral candidate, a memorable flop despite the arrival in the city of the leader of the 5 Star Movement Giuseppe Conte and the PD secretary Elly Schlein. Let us remember, en passant, that in Aversa the dem and the pentastellati together collected 44% of the references at the European elections. Baldascino, however, stops at 21.68% of the votes. Less than half. A Caporetto. What are the reasons for such a bitter defeat? And whose political responsibilities are? It is enough to take a quick read of the numbers coming out of the polls to affirm, without any intention of contradicting, that Baldascino did not push the cart. He conducted an electoral campaign “sine ira et studio” (Tacitus). And he failed at all to politically characterize the group that supported him. Those who asked him to say something center-left along Moretti’s lines remained lukewarm. The others, hoping that he would say something left-wing, were shocked by the lack of strong ideas and proposals. Baldascino was a failure. The group supporting him did even worse. Those who at the negotiating table, Aversa Progressista and Democratic Center, transformed into the little girl from “The Exorcist” for mayor Baldascino have literally disappeared. Aversa Progressista has shown that it has more leader-promoters, Gabriele Vedova and Carmine Palmiero, than votes: 559, equal to 2.11%. Only a few people. At peak Democratic Center: 287 preferences with 1.09%. Two cats. At first glance, the chickens were Eugenio Marino and Susanna Camusso, respectively city and provincial commissioner of the Democratic Party. They chose the path of full agreement on the name of the mayoral candidate, embracing the Grillino motto “one is worth one”. Instead, someone came out of the polls with the relative numbers, demonstrating the fact that politics is not arithmetic. Is it possible that two important exponents like Marino and Camusso didn’t know it? By removing the curtain of the Democratic Party, behind the scenes everything appears much clearer. The city and provincial commissioners followed a precise strategy. The “real” mayoral candidate has always been someone else. A certain Lello Ferrara, former mayor of Aversa, lawyer for the CGIL. A natural choice for the former number one of the first Italian trade union. But if politics is not arithmetic, the parties are not the union. First basic mistake. Then the domino effect. Although he did not throw himself into the electoral fray, the histrionic Ferrara participated in the game taking place in the Democratic Party. And here Baldascino’s name popped up, among his loyalists at the time of Insieme per Aversa, just 30 years ago. Objective? Destroy the ruling class of 40-year-olds, starting from Marco Villano and ending with Pasquale Fiorenzano, among many others. While Camusso was convinced that Baldascino was indeed the right and competitive name, Ferrara was well aware of the defeat. Otherwise his marked hypertrophy of the ego would have pushed him to take the field himself. Easy question: what electoral contribution has the former mayor provided to the centre-left? The numbers say it: very close to zero. Gennaro Oliviero entered the match in Ferrara with his now proverbial foresight. It didn’t seem true to the president of the regional council that he still boasted political credit in the eyes of Marino and Camusso, who asked him to lend a big hand in the composition of the Dem list: “Indicate 12 names”. The remaining 12 were the prerogative of the outgoing directors. Like Ferrara, Oliviero was also interested in the outcome of the Aversa municipal elections like a Japanese tourist. His target was another: the deputy Stefano Graziano. Elementary watson! Not for Marino and Camusso. The Ferrara-Oliviero mix caused more damage (to the Democratic Party) than the nuclear arsenal of the United States, Russia, Iran and Israel combined. In the first round the Dems secure only one councillor, Marco Girone, because Oliviero, apart from Raffaele Di Lauro, allows his names to “come out” on the list between 0 and 50 preferences. While Paolo Cacciapuoti, candidate of the iron Olivier Palmiero with Aversa Progressista obtains 249 preferences. All things considered, the Democratic Party loses the second seat, which would have been assigned to Elena Caterino, due to the followers of the president of the regional council, who instead of bringing water to the Democratic Party’s mill, poisoned the wells. Let’s get to the point. What does Ferrara gain from it? Well, he has Baldascino as his institutional reference in the assembly to prepare his campaign for the regional elections. What does Oliviero gain from it? He weakened the Graziano group. What does the Democratic Party of Aversa gain from it? He must start again from the rubble. Conclusion: none of us think that Marino and Camusso are two chickens, but neither are they foxes.
Mario De Michele
