Deputy Premier and Transport Minister
on Friday reiterated his position in favour of lifting the
existing ban on regional governors serving three consecutive
terms in office, saying it is a limitation of democracy.
"If citizens find themselves good mayors or governors, they
should be free to reelect them or to send them home, they are
the ones to decide," said Salvini, whose right-wing League party
was behind a recent failed attempt at committee stage to change
the rules on standing for election in a bill currently before
parliament.
"In my opinion, the same applies as for parliamentarians: there
is no limit," he continued.
"Some (lawmakers) have been doing it for 40 years and people
vote for them," he added, concluding: "If we are the only ones
who think this way and all the other parties are against it, I
take note, but it would be a limitation of choice and of
democracy for citizens".
Last week the Senate Constitutional Affairs Committee rejected
an amendment presented by the League removing the existing
two-mandate limit to allow governors to serve three consecutive
terms in office.
Representatives of Premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers
of Italy (FDI) party - the main party in the right-centre
majority - and of the League's other majority coalition partner
Forza Italia voted against, together with the main opposition
groups, the Democratic Party (Pd) and the Five Star Movement
(M5S).
Salvini afterwards played down the rejection, insisting that in
parliament the assembly, not the committee, is sovereign.
Meloni is said to be against dropping the two-term limit because
she wants more regions to be in the hands of representatives of
her FdI in order to reflect the fact that the party is now the
driving force of the majority alliance.
Under the existing rules, several regional governors including
the League's highly popular Veneto Governor Luca Zaia face
having to step down at the next regional elections - in Zaia's
case, in 2025.
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