Confusion appeared to reign
within the centre-right on Monday after the official
centre-right mayoral candidate for Rome Guido Bertolaso lost
unofficial primaries organised by the right-wing Northern League
over the weekend.
The hastily organised poll was won by Alfio Marchini - a
former city councillor running on a civic list - with 4,534
votes, followed by surprise new entry Irene Pivetti with 3,495
votes.
Ex-Lazio governor Francesco Storace of La Destra obtained
3,069 votes while the former civil protection chief polled 2,203
votes.
"In this way the centre-right is set to lose and presents
the biggest possible gift to (center-left Premier) Matteo
Renzi," Salvini said.
The Northern League leader then appealed to the four main
candidates to "sit down and talk".
"If everyone remains on their paths, those paths will lead
to a dead end," Salvini said, calling on the centre-right to
hold official primaries "as a tool for synthesis".
He was backed by former party secretary Umberto Bossi, who
in an interview with La Stampa daily said official centre-right
primaries were "the only way forward".
However, Bossi added that Salvini would now have to talk to
ex-premier and center-right Forza Italia (FI) chief Silvio
Berlusconi, who fielded Bertolaso earlier this month with
support from Giorgia Meloni, leader of the small rightwing
Brothers of Italy (FdI) party and, apparently, the Northern
League leader himself.
For his part, Marchini said in a statement "it is right to
continue to seek a synthesis between the different political
histories, which are an asset and certainly not a limit".
However "the elections to be won are in June", he added.
"In order to win them we need to convince all those who no
longer believe in the promises of the PD or the Five-Star
Movement (M5S) to turn out to vote," the businessman said.
Meanwhile, the two main candidates in the centre-left
primaries on March 6 continued their campaigns.
Roberto Giachetti, deputy Lower House speaker and former
cabinet chief under Rome mayor Francesco Rutelli, took a swipe
at M5S candidate Virginia Raggi who on Sunday described a
televised debate between the centre-left candidates as a
"second-hand fair".
"There is a clear opposition between us, for example I
think the Olympics should be used as a tool to relaunch the
capital. I think she has a defeatist approach," Giachetti said.
Raggi has said she is opposed to the 2024 Olympics bid on
grounds the city has more urgent problems that need to be
tackled first.
Former executive city councillor for urban planning Roberto
Morassut said the centre-left primaries would "once again" be
the only "real democratic popular consultation".
"On March 6, debate will begin on the number of
participants and whether 50,000, 60,000, or 70,000 people can be
considered a flop. Let me quietly point out that the M5S has
nominated a candidate with 1,700 online votes, while the
centre-right candidates subject to the League's primaries all
garnered under 2,000 votes - a regular pantomime," Morassut
said.
Morassut made the comment before the final results of the
unofficial centre-right primaries had been announced.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
