Florence and the others, the 18 ‘play-offs’ in Tuscany

The national battle for Palazzo Vecchio between Funaro and Schmidt, the left-wing ballots in the Florentine and Livorno areas, but also the challenge to the outgoing centre-right administrations. All the squares to vote on Sunday and Monday

FLORENCE – Florence and the other 17 challenges, some with a completely left-wing bipolarism. Tuscany is approaching the ‘play-offs’ next Sunday and Monday without giving up some of its political specificities. The most anticipated battle is that for the leadership of the Tuscan capital, with implicit but imaginable national consequences. After the first round the centre-left candidate, Sara Funaro, can be said to be strong 43.2% of consensus received and a 10 point advantage over the competitor, the former director of the Uffizi, Eike Schmidt (32.9%), who agreed in mid-April to lead a centre-right coalition. The calendar doesn’t help turnout, especially for the factor San Giovanni heartfelt patronal celebration, a conjunction capable of discouraging a significant portion of voters from returning to the polls for the run-off round but also, in the opinion of some political scientists, of making the final result imponderable. Especially, if voter participation were to fall well below 50%: in the first round, for comparison purposes, it reached 64%.

THE SECOND SHIFT IN THE PROVINCE OF FLORENCE

In the province of Florence, however, duels on the left abound: a Empoli Alessio Mantellassi (49.6%) will run with the Democratic Party against Leonardo Masi (19.3%) supported by M5S and left-wing lists; to Borgo San Lorenzo Leonardo Romagnoli (progressives and M5S) starts from 40.63% on 8 and 9 June, he will face Cristina Becchi (Pd-Iv) who built a dowry of 38.8% in the first round; to Calenzano the candidate of the left Giuseppe Carovani (41.4%) will challenge Maria Arena of the PD (33.9%) for victory. The physiological duel between right and left, however, returns as the protagonist Figline Incisa Valdarno where the race is between the exponent of the Pd-M5S broad camp Valerio Pianigiani (45.9%) and Silvio Pittori of the centre-right (30.3%) but also in Signa where the duelists are Giampiero Fossi for the Pd (49.1 %) and Monia Catalano for the center-right (40.5%).

THE CENTER-RIGHT DEFENDS ITSELF IN THE Pistoia area

In the province of Pistoia, however, the center-right tries to defend itself from the assault of the Democratic Party Montecatini Terme with the outgoing mayor Luca Baroncini, regional coordinator of the League, who after the first round starts again from 33.7%, challenged by Claudio Del Rosso, an expression of the wide field and a 27.2% of consensus gathered two weeks ago. Similarly to Agliana the outgoing Luca Benesperi (47.2%) will have to resist the recovery of Guido del Fante of the PD (37.3%).

THE CLASHES BETWEEN AREZZO AND SIENA

In the Arezzo area Cortona another centre-right mayor in office, Luciano Meoni (45.4%), will compete at the polls for the confirmation threatened by Andrea Vignini of the Pd and 5 Star (35.6%). Moving on to Colle di Val d’Elsamoving therefore to the Siena area, the citizen Piero Pii – a life on the left, but running with the aim of sending the dems into the opposition – after 43.9% in the first round he will face Riccardo Vannetti on Sunday and Monday ( 37.3%) supporter of the Democratic Party and the left.

DUELS IN THE PISANO…

Three ballots in the Pisa area: a Pontedera the left with Matteo Franconi (49.3%) can count on an initial advantage over the centre-right which relies on Matteo Bangoli (37.9%) to lead the administration; the balance that can be glimpsed is similar Ponsacco, a municipality in which Fabrizio Lupi of the Democratic Party (40.8%) is opposed to Gabriele Gasperini of the centre-right (30.9%); but also in San Miniato, which instead sees Simone Giglioli of the Democratic Party (40.8%) dueling with Michele Altini of the Fdi, Lega, Fi, civic lists coalition (29.7%).

…AND IN THE LIVORNESE AREA

Finally, four runoffs in the province of Livorno. This time the most relevant square is Piombino, the outgoing mayor Francesco Ferrari (Fdi) after 49.2% will try to prevent the comeback of the former mayor and current regional councilor of the dem Gianni Anselmi (35.6%). Just a chickpeas flour pie the center-right theoretically starts again in front with Salvatore Giangrande (30.1%) ready to hand over control of the administration to the Democratic Party represented by Ila Burgalassi (27.1%). Where the center-left completed the first round by accumulating a margin is Collesalvetti running with Sara Paoli (27.1%) against Carlo Fredianelli of the centre-right (22%). A race apart from that of Rosignano MarittimoDaniele Donati (35.3% of preferences in the first round) will compete against Claudio Marabotti (31.2%) supported by civic lists and the 5 Star Movement.