Civil Service Minister Marianna
Madia said on Thursday that Democratic Party (PD) Chairman
Matteo Orfini should step down from his role as PD commissioner
of Rome after the party's heavy defeat by the anti-establishment
5-Star Movement (M5S) in Rome mayoral elections.
The PD's Roberto Giachetti polled 32.85% in Sunday's
mayoral run-off to victorious M5S candidate Virginia Raggi's
67.15%
"At the moment all strategies have failed. And we need to
have the humility to recognise that," Madia told the La
Repubblica daily.
She said Orfini should resign because "we can no longer
allow obstacles to change".
She said that growing injustice was having a major
influence on how people voted, yet the PD was being viewed as
too inward-looking and unable to recognise unease in periphery
areas or help people in difficulty.
Many people had therefore opted for the M5S with the hope
it could offer them more chances, she said.
PD deputy leader Lorenzo Guerini rebuffed Madia's demand
that Orfini resign, and said she was "wrong to raise the
question in this way".
He suggested putting an end "to this slightly surreal
post-Rome election debate" adding that "we are working to get
things going again and rather than arguing among ourselves,
let's resume our interaction with Roman citizens."
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