Former Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino on
Thursday was presented as the lead candidate for the Green-Left
Alliance (AVS) in the central Italy constituency for June's
European elections.
Marino arrived on his bicycle at the press conference to present
his candidacy at the foreign press association in Rome, just
like he did for his first speech as mayor in city hall in 2013.
Marino was ousted as mayor by his former party, the centre-left
Democratic Party (PD), in 2015 after a series of
headline-grabbing stories that caused him to come under heavy
fire.
These included an expenses case in which he was subsequently
acquitted.
"I'll engage with the people. It's the people who will vote,"
Marino said.
"I'll don't feel like a Martian or like the Count of
Montecristo.
"I always found the 'Martian' nickname funny and it doesn't
offend me.
"What I feel like is a person who wants to dedicate this part of
his life to an important, historic challenge for the continent.
"My opinions haven't changed over the last two decades - civil
rights, social rights, environment and a firm 'no' to war".
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