Rome, 22 June. (askanews) – Over 3.6 million (3,627,492, ed.) voters have been called to the polls to elect the mayor with the run-off in 105 municipalities in 16 regions, scheduled for tomorrow and Monday. All eyes on Bari, Campobasso, Florence, Lecce, Perugia and Potenza. The region with the most runoffs is Tuscany with 16 municipalities. This election round is dedicated to municipalities with more than 15 thousand inhabitants in which no candidate obtained more than 50% of the votes in the first round. But there are also some with less than 15 thousand inhabitants because the elections of 8 and 9 June ended in a draw like in Zerba, in the province of Piacenza, the smallest city to vote with 70 residents. The two mayoral candidates, Claudia Borrè (Il Castello list) and Giovanni Razzari (Zerba Futura list), obtained 28 votes each. Equality of preferences also for the mayoral candidates of the small municipalities of Tresignana (Fe), Colle d’Anchise (Cb), Valle San Nicolao (Bi), Svolto (Cn) and Pragelato (To). The two candidates who have obtained the highest number of votes. The ballot paper includes the name and surname of the candidates for the office of mayor, with the symbols of the connected lists. The vote is expressed by drawing a mark on the rectangle within which the name of the chosen candidate is written. Split voting is not permitted, i.e. the possibility of voting for a candidate for the office of mayor and, at the same time, for a list of candidates for the office of municipal councilor not connected to that candidate for mayor.
The polls will be open from 7am to 11pm on Sunday 23 June and from 7am to 3pm on Monday 24 June. When the polls close, the counting will begin. Let’s see in detail the main municipalities in the ballot. Bari: the affirmation of Vito Leccese, candidate of the divided centre-left, who obtained 48.02% of the preferences, taking advantage of the driving force of the outgoing mayor, seems obvious , Antonio Decaro, the most voted of the Democratic Party in the European elections. Fabio Romito of the centre-right is almost 19 percentage points behind. Michele Laforgia, supported by M5s, Sud Lavora Nord and four other lists, stopped at 21.75%. Caltanissetta: Walter Calogero Tesauro, candidate for mayor of the centre-right, is on the ballot, at 34.42% and Annalisa Maria Petitto, supported from seven civic lists, to 30.82%. Tesauro and Petitto are aiming for the 28% of voters who, two weeks ago, voted for the outgoing mayor of the M5s, Roberto Gambino, even if the two challengers were unable to reach an agreement with the former mayor. Campobasso: the race for two is between the centre-right mayoral candidate, Aldo De Benedittis, former budget councilor, supported by six lists, Fratelli d’Italia, Lega, Forza Italia, Popolari per l’Italia, Noi moderates and Udc, at 47.90% and Marialuisa Forte, supported by the Pentastellati, Pd and Alleanza Verdi-Lenistra, at 32.16%. The votes of the Cantiere Civico di Pino Ruta will be decisive, as in the first round it took home almost 20% of the votes. But everything will depend on the possibility of putting aside the differences, even profound ones, between Ruta and Forte. Florence could have its first female mayor. Sara Funaro, candidate of a centre-left coalition made up of Pd, Avs, Azione, +Europa and three civic lists, obtained 43.17% of the preferences in the first round. The former director of the Uffizi, the German, Eike Schmidt, today at the helm of the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples, chosen by the centre-right, stopped at 32.87%. Out of the running Stefania Saccardi, IV candidate, at 7.33%; Cecilia Del Re, with Firenze Democratica, at 6.16%. Over the vote for Palazzo Vecchio, the shadow of abstentionism hovers which could affect the final result: Monday 24 June is San Giovanni, patron saint of the city, a public holiday. Lecce: fiery ballot between Adriana Poli Bortone, candidate of the centre-right, at 49 .95% who is attempting an encore after the union between 1998 and 2022, and the outgoing mayor Carlo Salvemini, of the centre-left, who obtained 46.73%. In the last days of the electoral campaign, the two sides made mutual accusations of alleged favoritism towards friends and relatives, violent and incorrect social media messages to delegitimize the opponent. Head to head in Perugia which for the first time will be led by a mayor woman. Vittoria Ferdinandi, supported by seven lists including Pd, M5s, Avs and Azione, stopped at 49.01%, Margherita Scoccia, current councilor for urban planning, supported by the centre-right, was at 48.06%. In the first round the distance between the two was just 598 votes. Potenza: Francesco Fanelli, candidate for mayor of the centre-right, has 40.60%; Vincenzo Telesca, supported by various civic lists and part of the Democratic Party at 32.44%. For the run-off, the centre-left candidate signed a programmatic agreement with the M5s which in the first round supported Pierluigi Smaldone (17.63%) and with the other mayoral candidate, Francesco Giuzio, of Potenza Possibile (8.05%).
