The regional coordinators of the parties who supported the loser Aldo De Benedict in the municipal elections of Campobasso (Fratelli d’Italia, Forza Italia, Lega, Popolari per l’Italia, Noi Moderati and UdC) do not recognize the victory of Maria Luisa Strong. This does not mean that they will take away your trust: the hypothesis of mass resignation, discussed in several coalition meetings, has faded away: the strategy seems to be entirely oriented towards an upward game.
Two days after the proclamation of the elected municipal councilors, it was ascertained that the centre-right lists obtained the majority of seats in the civic assembly: 17 went to the centre-right, 15 (plus the mayor) to the progressives (centre-left and Pino Ruta’s civic): “Of the Benedictines – explain the coordinators Di Sandro, Lotito, Marone, Niro, Cofelice and Di Pietro – he arrived at the photo finish with a gap of less than one percentage point. They want, therefore, to disguise as a victory, that victory that, in reality, did not exist. De Benedittis has carried out a great job and those few preferences of difference derive, also and above all, from entanglements which do not belong to us.”
After due thanks to the mayoral candidate “whose choice, last April, was the result of an indication shared by the centre-right parties, at the end of that comparison and dialogue that characterizes, daily, our coalition” the coordinators explain: “Aldo De Benedittis was chosen in the first round by 47.90% of Campobasso citizens with 12,874 preferences, over four thousand votes more than the centre-left candidate. In the second round, there was a substantial tie. Historically, due to various factors, the ballot has almost never rewarded the centre-right. As evidence of this, the results recorded on 23 and 24 June 2024 also in other Municipalities, where however the defeats were of greater proportions”.
Then the most important passage of their press release: “We will not act as a crutch, but rather we will observe the evolution of the situation in the exclusive interest of Campobasso and the people of Campobasso, who have placed their trust in our coalition with over 53% of the preferences. Our councilors, in concert with their respective parties, will carry out their activities, giving answers to citizens, being able to count on the majority of councilors called to vote in the Council and in the Commissions”.
The first City Council will be held by July 10th: this should be the occasion to present the new council and elect the president of the civic assembly. Then there are the presidencies of the commissions to be assigned, all positions that the center-right could demand by virtue of the numbers or, more logically, negotiate “for the good of the city” which – otherwise – would end up in the hands of a prefectural commissioner.
Meanwhile, Aldo De Benedittis, who upon learning of the defeat had spoken of an electoral appeal regarding too many invalid ballots, also examined the vote, placing the responsibility for the defeat on the electoral law: “Despite all this consensus, the coalition that won the elections was not in the conditions to express one’s mayor. In fact, we didn’t get the mayor by a handful of votes and not reaching the finish line with these few numbers of differences hurts even more.”
Significant thanks: to the voters, the candidates, the family, the staff and the President of the Region Francesco Roberti, the man who appointed him to get the coalition out of the quagmire that could not agree on the name of the mayoral candidate, “to whom I feel tied not only politically, but also humanly, because before being an excellent Governor he is an exquisite person from a human perspective. Now – wrote De Benedittis -, it is time to look forward: it is time to do politics and, in light of the results, not to allow others to make Campobasso take a road of no return”.
We note once again that neither the parties nor the mayoral candidate have anything to complain about.
