BARI – More black smoke for the new Apulian regional council. In recent days, governor Michele Emiliano has met with political and civil society representatives in view of the “radical change” requested by the Democratic Party, or the elimination initially requested by Si. After the initial forecast of replacing the resigning councilors and the change of the two technical councilors, there was pressure from Rome to make the reshuffle more substantial, with a fifth addition. In the meantime, the gap that separates the Apulian experience from the 5S has widened: a return of the Grillini to the council, at this point, could be a possibility not to be taken into consideration, also due to the harshness with which the head of the Movement, Giuseppe Conte, he underlined his position (i.e. his exit from the executive). Will we talk about it again after the European elections?
The boxes to be integrated would, at present, be those of Welfare (left free by 5S Rosa Barone), Transport (after the resignation of Anita Maurodinoia due to the investigation into the vote swap), Healthcare and Environment (if they are withdrawn the delegations to Rocco Palese and Anna Grazia Maraschio), as well as Culture (after the step back of the grillina Grazia Di Bari). And there would also be a reflection on the Tourism department, led by Gianfranco Lopane, from the Con list (so far shielded by Emiliano himself and the leaders of the civic movement). Dem regional councilor Debora Ciliento remains in pole position for entry into the executive (she could go to Culture and Legality), as part of a significant redesign of the various delegations.
In a process of strengthening the council majority, shaky after the judicial landslides (Maurodinoia is in the mix, with Mazzarano and Caracciolo, while the former Con Tupputi contests the line of his movement and the 5S are in the opposition), the council’s provision which arranges the rotation of regional managers over the three-year period appears to be a hand extended to Action, which with the regional secretary Fabiano Amati, had hoped for an “immediate rotation in sensitive sectors”. The resolution “intended to make the rotation of managers of the sections at high risk of corruption more stringent, reducing the term of office from three years, extendable by another three, to three years, extendable by another two”. To fully satisfy the wishes of the Calendians, however, there should be interventions both on the managers and on the top of the local health authorities. Moreover, Azione – despite being in the majority – claims its autonomy. And it is no coincidence that he had voted against the choice endorsed by Loredana Capone to postpone today’s Council due to the absence of five PD councilors. Amati then reiterated to the “Gazzetta” that in the last majority meeting he had called for the application of the laws that allow waiting lists to be eliminated and sanction any non-compliance by the general directors of the local health authorities.
On the sidelines of the council, Emiliano focused with the councilors on the burning topic of the reshuffle. Rocco Palese, once again, has placed his mandate in the hands of the president, who has sought the possible sharing of this passage, which will be defined within this week. The comment of the civic councilor Gianni Stea was bitter: «Elly Schlein is not in charge here. In Puglia we won for the civic lists. With some forcing you run the risk of upsetting a delicate mosaic.”
