On the one hand the celebration of the centre-left, on the other the discontent of the centre-right. In the aftermath of the run-off elections in the local elections in Lazio, the parties draw up the results obtained, analyzing the meaning of their candidates’ performances and how this can impact the balance of power. The Democratic Party and its allies came close to winning 6 of the 7 large cities in the region that went to the polls. In the three municipalities on the ballot, the center-left scored a hat-trick yesterday, winning in Civitavecchia and Palestrina, in the province of Rome, and Tarquinia in the province of Viterbo. While in four of the large cities of Lazio, which elected the mayor in the first round, with an absolute majority, the result was 3 to 1 for the centre-left which prevailed in Cassino and Veroli in the province of Frosinone, and Monterotondo in the province From Rome. The centre-right, however, managed to establish itself only in Tivoli, in the province of Rome.
For the centre-right, in particular, the defeat in Palestrina, in the province of Rome, where the centre-left candidate Igino Macchi beat his challenger Giuseppe Cilia, stings. The first supported by the Democratic Party and three civic lists, obtained 5,134 votes, equal to 58.81 percent of the preferences. The second, supported by Forza Italia and Noi Moderates, received 41.19 percent of the vote, or 3,596 votes. The other centre-right candidate, supported by Fratelli d’Italia and Lega, Eleonora Nuvoli, stopped in the first round, coming third and obtaining 20.5 percent of the vote, equal to 2,459 preferences. There are no Forza Italia and Us moderates who blame and accuse their allies for the defeat they suffered. Giuseppe Cilia “lost by 700 votes against the Democratic Party candidate. As if the errors in the first round that saw us divide from Fd’I and Lega were not enough, they persisted in the run-off, where after not having seen, even if invited, any leaders of Fd’I and Lega at the end of Cilia’s electoral campaign , the only candidate in the ballot against the left, we have reached the point of reading messages sent by right-wing leaders and militants with the Celtic around their necks to their friends to invite them not to go and vote or at most to choose the center-left candidate” , attack Claudio Fazzone and Marco Di Stefano, regional secretaries of Forza Italia and Noi Moderati respectively. “They even tell us about celebrations by Fd’I and Lega leaders in the square in Palestrina for the victory of Igino Macchi, to whom we wish to be able to revive the city of Palestrina, which has been without a leader for some time and in the midst of a crisis. But how sad”, conclude Fazzone and Di Stefano.
The Democratic Party of Lazio, however, rejoices. “Even in the administrative run-offs, the centre-left forces win, taking home important municipalities in our territory. A great success by Marco Piendibene in Civitavecchia, Igino Macchi in Palestrina and Francesco Sposetti in Tarquinia. These results represent a great achievement for our party, which is once again growing and consolidating itself in the area. In this electoral round of the seven municipalities (over 15 thousand inhabitants) voting, we won six”, underline the secretary of the Lazio PD, Daniele Leodori, and the leader of the PD group in the regional council, Mario Ciarla. Elly Schlein’s party, in fact, confirmed itself with overwhelming victories in the first round in three municipalities that it already governed – Monterotondo, Cassino and Veroli – to which must be added the victories of Palestrina, Civitavecchia and Tarquinia where it was in opposition. A vote which, added to that of two weeks ago, “confirms the positive trend and renewed trust on the part of voters towards the Democratic Party and the centre-left forces – add Ciarla and Leodori -. Successes that are the result of constant commitment and field work that has seen candidates of great value and competence as protagonists, supported by determined and passionate teams. The trust that the townspeople have placed in us encourages us to continue on this path, continuing to work to build the opposition and return to the national and regional government which fails at the first test before the judgment of the voters”, conclude the councilors regional.
Returning to yesterday’s ballots, in detail, in Civitavecchia, the center-left candidate, Marco Piendibene, was elected new mayor with 11,291 votes, equal to 54.48 percent of the vote. In the largest voting municipality, already governed for 5 years by the League, the center-right candidate, Massimiliano Grasso, however, lost the elections, obtaining 9,433 votes, 45.52 percent of the preferences. Piendibene, in the second round, was supported by the Democratic Party, the Left Green Alliance, a civic list and by the 5 Star Movement, which in the first round, however, had supported one of its candidates, Vincenzo D’Antò, who stopped at 14 .02 percent. Grasso, however, was supported by Fratelli d’Italia and Lega, with Forza Italia and Noi moderato having advanced Paolo Poletti’s candidacy in the first round. The victory of the broad center-left camp in Tarquinia, in the province of Viterbo, was overwhelming, where Francesco Sposetti was elected the new mayor with 70.09 percent of the vote, equal to 5,773 votes. The center-right candidate and outgoing mayor, Alessandro Giulivi, stopped at 2,464 votes, or 29.91 percent of the preferences. In the first round, however, the centre-right candidate Marco Innocenzi won in Tivoli; in Monterotondo the centre-left candidate Riccardo Varone was elected mayor, supported by the Democratic Party, the Left Green Alliance, Action, Italia Viva, Demos and two civic lists; in Cassino, Enzo Salera from the centre-left was elected mayor; while in Veroli Germano Caperna, a civic candidate, won.
