Virginia Raggi, the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement's (M5S) candidate for Rome
mayor, on Monday said that she and her team are reviewing
possible candidates for her proposed city cabinet, and she
suggested that primaries might also be used as a selection tool.
In an interview on Radio24, Raggi said that if she and her
team managed to do so, they would release names prior to the
June elections.
The 37-year-old lawyer said she feels "gratified" to be
ahead in the polls.
"We've worked three years to achieve this and so we're
happy," she said.
When asked about which candidate concerned her most, she
said it was the possibility of low voter turnout.
"Estimates of 40-50% (turnout) scare me," she said.
She was non-committal regarding whether or not she thought
it possible she might face Giorgia Meloni - leader of the small,
right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party who is also running for
Rome mayor - in the electoral run-off.
"Maybe so," she said.
Raggi said she doesn't regret her recent comment about how,
if elected mayor, she would change management at city-controlled
power and water utility ACEA.
Some of her opponents in the Democratic Party (PD) said
that her comment caused ACEA's stock price to drop and that it
resulted in a loss amounting to around 70 million euros.
"On the contrary: I think a mayor should say what she
intends to do not only for the city but also with municipal
entities, seeing as how they are city-controlled companies," she
said.
"We saw, rather, how PD rushed to the defence of private
shareholders".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
