LECCE – Carlo Salvemini and Adriana Poli Bortone are playing the game for the summit of Palazzo Carafa, but there are also eight councilors at stake, from both sides, who see their entry into the city council conditioned by the victory of their candidate. Double game, therefore, for the mayor and councilors: the closing of the vote today at 3pm followed by the counting which this time should be easier because it is just a question of giving preference to one or the other. With the majority bonus, the winning side would have 20 seats and the opposition 12. The first round ended with Poli Bortone at 49.95% equal to 26,044 votes and Salvemini at 46.7% corresponding to 24,347 votes. And yesterday there were those who decided not to go alone to the polling station set up in the Quinto Ennio school, but accompanied by a sheep. Amazement and joking comments greeted the presence of the animal who instead waited “seriously” for his owner to vote.
Voting participation was more tepid than in the first round, when 18.55% of those entitled to vote showed up at 12pm yesterday. In the first round voting took place starting from the afternoon of Saturday 8th June and until 11pm on the 9th with a turnout on the first day of voting which was 26.79% at 11pm and 42.83% at 12pm on Sunday. % to close at 68.43% not too far from the 2019 percentage.
In the balance, for the centre-right, the councilors: Maria Luisa Greco (FdI, 344 votes), Tonia Erriquez (Io Sud, 210), Carlo Mignone (Prima Lecce, 465), Gianmaria Greco (Mrs, 449), Luca Russo (Forza Italy, 536), Luigi Quarta Colosso (Lecce Futura, 347), Maurizio Botrugno (Lecce Futura, 311), Severo Martini (Lega, 446). In case of victory they would enter the city council, while even in case of defeat there will certainly be, for Fratelli d’Italia: Roberto Giordano Anguilla (769 votes), Andrea Pasquino (457), Oronzino Tramacere (392), Maria Luisa Greco (344 ); for Io Sud: Gianpaolo Scorrano (629), Massimo Fragola (277); for Prima Lecce: Bernardo Monticelli Cuggiò (695), Laura Calò (481); Udc – Puglia Popular: Andrea Guido (1,349), Gianmarco Pagliaro (689); Salento Region Movement: Giancarlo Capoccia (671); Forza Italia: Luciano Battista (673).
On the cutting edge, for the centre-left, are the councilors of the Democratic Party: Marco Giannotta (464 votes), Paola Povero (381); for Lecce public city: Sergio Della Giorgia (394); for Civic Conscience: Alessandro Costantini Dal Sant (310); for Avanti Lecce: Giovanni Occhineri (381); for Noi for Lecce: Gianluca Borgia (368); for Lecce the right city: Pierpaolo Patti (358); for M5S: Arturo Baglivo (173); for Reformists for Salvemini: Gabriele Torricelli (188). Already councilors, even in the event of Salvemini’s defeat: Paolo Foresio (1,435 votes), Sergio Signore (close to 1,131), Antonio Rotundo (644), Loredana Di Cuonzo (591); for Lecce Public City: Silvia Miglietta (883), Fabiana Cicirillo (403); for Civic Conscience: Christian Gnoni (768), Antonio De Matteis (544); for Avanti Lecce: Enza Corvaglia (382); for Noi per Lecce: Andrea Fiore (422); for Sveglia Lecce: Marco De Matteis (444).
The wait was painful and still rife with tensions. On the eve of the vote a real case broke out due to the closed-door meeting of the governor Michele Emiliano with the ASL leaders and the directors of the hospital departments. A meeting that ruffled the feathers of the center-right who sent a letter of complaint to the prefect of Lecce, Luca Rotondi, complaining about the violation of electoral silence. The centre-left responded with the move of MP Claudio Stefanazzi who in turn wrote to the prefect criticizing the actions of a local TV station towards which he also presented a parliamentary question for violation of the “level playing field”.
