The centre right's Nello Musumeci
was elected Sicilian governor Sunday beating the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement's (M5S) Giancarlo Cancelleri
by about 40% to 35% with most votes counted.
The centre-left candidate, Fabrizio Micari, came third on
just under 19% in a blow to Democratic Party (PD) leader and
ex-premier Matteo Renzi, after the leftwing splinter MDP group
split the centre-left vote by backing its own candidate, Claudio
Fava, who got just over 6%.
The result, despite a low turnout with less than half
eligible voters casting their votes, was a comeback triumph for
centre-right Forza Italia (FI) leader Silvio Berlusconi who had
campaigned heavily for Musumeci in the run-up to the vote,
promising Sicilians everything from a bridge over the Messina
Strait to a casino in Taormina.
Berlusconi, whose FI ran with the anti-immigrant, anti-euro
Northern League (LN) and the small rightist nationalist Brothers
of Italy (FdI), saw the win as heralding victory in next year's
general election, expected in March.
Barring a surprise ruling by the European Court of Human
Rights, the three-time former premier and media mogul cannot
become premier because of a 2013 tax-fraud conviction, but he
will again be standing as vote catcher.
Berlusconi said Musumeci's win was a victory for the
moderates who would again sweep the FI-LN-FdI alliance into
office next March.
Musumeci's election is a "victory for the moderates who
believe in the possibility of a better future," said Berlusconi,
who was swept from office by the 2011 euro crisis and had been
sidelined by bunga bunga and corruption cases.
"I wanted to thank the Sicilians for heeding my appeal," he
said.
"Sicily has chosen as I asked the road of change, of a real,
serious and constructive change based on honesty, competence and
experience," said the FI leader on his Facebook page.
"I met many Sicilian voters over the past few days, I found
anger and disappointment but also a desire to start again".
Berlusconi said "after the definitive failure of the left's
administration Sicily was at a crossroads: our positive
revolution or the inconclusive rage of the M5S.
"The great result of Forza Italia, which made possible the
victory of the united centre right, means that Sicily has chosen
the revolution of action, the liberal revolution, we stopped
Sicily falling into the hands of the M5S and those who have
never achieved anything, have never even managed a condominium,
people who haven't worked.
"My compliments and best wishes to Musumeci, he has the
ability and strength to make it and we will be close to him."
FdI leader Giorgia Meloni exulted, too, saying "Musumeci's
win is quite clear".
Musumeci said aftre his election became clear that "we must
fight for Sicily and show what we can do".
M5S leader Luigi Di Maio, on the other hand, said their
cross-Sicily showing as the single biggest party is the start of
a "wave" that will sweep them to power in the general election.
He said that, even though they failed to land the
governorship, "we are very satisfied...from here a wave is
starting that in four months can take us to 40%."
He said "we have a free, aware vote" and "we must communicate
this vote to those who have abstained, many of them will be
sorry in the next 2-3 months, when they see those who have
speculated this far at work again".
Di Maio said he was "convinced" that after the general
election, the M5S "will be able to ask the Italian president to
govern".
Meanwhile Cancelleri, the losing M5S candidate, said he would
not call Musumeci to concede defeat because his
the centre-right man's victory was "contaminated by
unpresentable people and by the complicity of the national
media."
Cancelleri reiterated the win was "contaminated by Nello
Musumeci who candidated unpresentables".
The defeat for Renzi, who said he would comment on the
election on TV "tomorrow", spurred Di Maio to scrapped a debate
he had challenged the PD) leader to, saying he was not a
general-election competitor after the PD's poor showing in
Sicily.
The debate was meant to take place on Tuesday on La7
television.
"I had asked for a debate with Renzi a few days ago, when he
was the premier candidate of that political side," Di Maio, the
Lower House's Deputy Speaker, said via Facebook.
"The earthquake of the election in Sicily has completely
changed this outlook.
"I will debate with the person who will be named as premier
candidate by that party or coalition.
"The PD is political deceased. Our competitor is no longer
Renzi or the PD.
"Soon there will be a PD party meeting where his role will be
thrown into doubt".
Renzi said Di Maio was scared.
"Di Maio is running away today," Renzi said on his Facebook
page.
"I'm sorry for my children to think that the Italian people
risk being led by a leader who doesn't have courage. Who is a
afraid of debate. Who makes up ridiculous excuses.
"If a leader who wants to government Italy with these
challenges (it has) is scared of a television studio, he is
simply not a leader.
"See you tomorrow at 21:30, on La7 (television): if Di Maio
gets a shot of dignity, we'll be waiting for him in the studio.
"Otherwise, we'll do it with the journalists".
Some will contend the low turnout lessens the Sicilian
elections' status as a bellwether for national elections.
The turnout was 46.76%, meaning 2,179,474 of 4,661,111 people
with the right to vote in the southern region did so between
8:00 and 22:00 on Sunday, compared to 2,203,165 votes in the
regional elections five years ago.
The turnout was higher than in 2012 in just three provinces
out of nine - Messina 51.69% (compared to 51.24% last time),
Catania 51.58% (51.09%) and Palermo 46.4% (46.28%).
On Sunday an election also took place in the Roman
municipality of Ostia, on the coast near the Italian capital.
The M5S and a centre-right coalition are set to contest the
runoff vote there after coming first and second respectively in
Sunday's first round.
Ostia is electing a new council two years after the previous
one was dissolved for mafia infiltration.
The M5S was the top party, with its candidate Giuliana Di
Pillo getting 30.21% of the vote.
Monica Picca, a member of the rightwing Brothers of Italy
(FdI) party who was also backed by Berlusconi's FI and the
League, got 26.68%.
Athos De Luca, the candidate for the ruling PD, got 13.61%.
The far-right CasaPound party registered huge gains, with
candidate Luca Marsella getting 9.08% of the vote.
Former parish priest Franco De Donno also did well, getting
8.61%.
The runoff will take place November 19.
photo: L-R, Musumeci, Salvini, Meloni and Berlusconi
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