ROVIGO – Dina Merlo, former councilor of Edoardo Gaffeo’s council, first of the non-elected for the Citizens’ Forum, behind Matteo Masin, analyzes the vote of the second round of balloting which saw the centre-right candidate Valeria Cittadin elected as mayor of capital
The case of Rovigo
The results of the municipal elections are heating up a debate on the victory of the center left in the big cities and on the opportunities for a broad coalition on the left to face the next national challenges. The Democratic Party rejoices in the very important success in the symbolic capital city of the region, while the analysis of the vote does not focus on the rest of the territories, even in non-marginal localities such as Rovigo, the provincial capital city in the Veneto with Northern League influence, which was one of the four capitals still in the hands of the center left.
Rovigo has elected a mayor from the Brothers of Italy, just as most of the 30 municipalities in the province of Rovigo that went to vote have turned to the right.
In Polesine, the land of Matteotti, whom everyone is lining up to celebrate, where until fifteen years ago and historically the vast majority of municipalities were center-left, today the situation is reversed, even in the capital, which in the last five years has had a civic mayor who has administered well by expanding projects and interventions for the city, with a coalition that also included the Democratic Party in the administration.
What has happened in Rovigo in recent years?
It is possible to clearly see what has happened in recent months in the city of Rovigo, where the Democratic Party, after having participated in the administration with its own broad representation over the past five years, a few months after the vote took away its confidence in the mayor and put carried out a political and personal smear campaign against him, which outraged many of its own administrators, managers, voters and citizens.
The result was that in the first round of the municipal elections the Democratic Party in Rovigo, presenting itself alone with its own candidate, obtained almost 7%, a historic minimum for this party since memory exists, while the former mayor Gaffeo collected in the first beat 28%, forming a coalition between the two civic lists that have always supported him, the 5 Star Movement, Green and Left Alliance, Più Europa and Italia viva.
A civic mayor with an expanded center-left alliance, with the exception of the Democratic Party, which inexplicably did not support him in either the first or second round, where Gaffeo reached 41%, a significant result, but not enough to maintain the position of mayor .
Some questions arise spontaneously and some further investigation would be necessary.
Given that the national and regional leaders of the Democratic Party were and have been aware of this situation for some time, because no one considered it essential to create the conditions to continue important administrative work for the city and support a mayor who has demonstrated that he has the respect of the citizens and the conditions for creating a progressive broad field?
In Veneto it has also been demonstrated in other important areas (Verona, Padua, Vicenza) that the alliance of the parties, first and foremost the Democratic Party, with local civic groups, largely the result of experiences of social, cultural and environmental associations, have led to winning results and good administration. Why was this not wanted in Rovigo, where all the conditions existed and a strong and credible candidate?
Given the commitment towards the next regional elections in Veneto, shouldn’t this be the path to take, trying to bring together all the political, civic and left-wing forces to face the post-Luca Zaia challenge?
Why didn’t we work to avoid losing a capital city that is a symbol of the center-left in Veneto, right around the time of the regional elections?
One could easily recall the chronic tendency of the left to divide, but here there is something different. Transversalism, transit of votes, wear and tear of the internal dynamics of the PD have prevailed, with the inattention of the national secretariat and the compliance of the regional one.
The question arises spontaneously: in which direction is the Democratic Party looking in Veneto and Rovigo?
