PESCARA. The plan of Fratelli d’Italia, the first center-right party in the Municipality with 8 elected councillors, is ready: Zaira Zamparelli 100% councilor, two other councilors and one of these also the role of vice mayor and then the presidency of the city council to be entrusted to one of Alfredo Cremonese And Gianni Santilli, both outgoing councilors among the most voted in the party. And one of the two councilor positions should go to Cristian Orta, the record-breaking candidate with 1,141 preferences, almost three hundred more than Cremonese and Santilli. These are the starting requests made to the mayor Carlo Masci, re-elected in the first round with 50.95%, i.e. 588 votes above the 50% threshold. And the mayor is taking his time: he is leaving for Porto where he will stay from tomorrow to Friday to participate in the Intelligent Cities Challenge, promoted by the European Commission to guide cities towards the green and digital transition.
THE STRENGTH OF NUMBERS The data are not yet official: the center-left of the defeated Carlo Costantini (34.24%) asked for checks on counts, disjointed votes and 1,311 annulled ballots. While waiting for the final numbers, especially on the candidates’ preferences, the negotiations for the council have started, albeit at a slow pace. But there is already a fixed point: someone will have to take a step back.
THE KNOT OF THE 4 WOMEN In the Masci-bis council, according to the female quota rule, there must be 4 women and, usually, it is the most representative parties who indicate them. The scheme for the 9 councilors and for the presidency of the council provides 4 positions for Fratelli d’Italia, 4 for Forza Italia and one each for the Lega and for the civic Pescara Futura. Therefore, it should be FdI and Forza Italia that “take on” the women’s quotas.
SANTILLI ARMORED But FdI wants to change direction to secure a position for Santilli: if FdI fielded two men and two women, Santilli would run the risk of being left out. And, this time, the party cannot allow it: in the regional elections of last March 10th, running with the civic Marsilio President, Santilli had been the most voted with 2,642 preferences but had been cheated out of entry into the regional council of Nicoletta Verì (2,559). Santilli had accepted Marsilio’s decision without controversy to the point of running for office, with FdI, also in the Municipality: Santilli received 837 votes and is the third most voted in the party, after Orta and Cremonese (870), an awkward position which does not ensure entry “mathematical” to boot.
STEP BACK? If Forza Italia indicates two women as expected – in the Azzurri it is a three or four-way race between Valeria Toppetti (822), Maria Rita Carrot (814), Patrizia Martelli (693) e Vittoria D’Incecco (632) – the League needs to find the missing fourth woman. And here’s the step back: the first of the League is the outgoing vice mayor and councilor Adelchi Sulpizio with 669 votes while the second is Maria Luigia Montopolino, outgoing councilor, with 661. Could Sulpizio decide to remain councilor and give way to Montopolino? Sulpizio may not accept a secondary role also because, in a period of escape from the League, he remained and made the difference. And there is another detail: at the regional elections, Sulpizio’s sister, Danielahad received 3,727 votes, second after the elected candidate Vincenzo D’Incecco, cushioning the collapse of the party. Without someone taking a step back, however, FdI’s plan could collapse. And this time FdI, strong with 18.01% in the Municipality against 6.60 in the League, does not want to negotiate the rules of the game too much.
