Madia calls for Orfini to quit Rome post

(ANSA) - Rome, June 23 - 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."