Sunday September 25th, together with national general elections, in Sicilia will also be held regional elections aimed at electing the new president of the Region and the 70 members of theSicilian Regional Assembly. 4,6 million Sicilians will be called to vote, who will have to choose between 7 presidential candidates, 138 lists and more than a thousand candidates for the Ars.
The elections were called almost two months in advance (the vote should have been in November) after the resignation of the outgoing president, Nello Musumeci, elected in 2017 with a civic list (Diventerà Bellissima), but today the representative of Fratelli d'Italia .
Sicily regional elections 2022: when to vote and when to start counting
The regional elections will take place on the same day, Sunday September 25, and at the same times, from 7 to 23, of the national policies. The Sicilians, therefore, will receive three ballots. Two (one yellow and one pink) to vote for the representatives of the Chamber and Senate, the third to choose the President of the Region and the deputies of Ars.
Lo ballot instead it will be deferred. Once the voting operations have been concluded, the ballots valid for the national elections will be scrutinized first. The stripping of cards valid for the regional elections will be held on Monday 26 September starting at 14 pm.
Sicily regional elections 2022: how to vote?
Il Sicilian electoral system it is mixed with a single turn. For the Region, voters will receive only one ballot, but will be able to cast two votes:
- one vote for the regional list, whose leader is the candidate for the presidency of the Region;
- one vote for the provincial list and in this case, preference can be expressed for one of the candidates for the position of regional deputy.
In the event that no vote is cast for one of the regional lists, the vote cast for a provincial list will also automatically extend to the connected regional list.
Unlike what is foreseen for the national general elections, separate votes may be cast, which means that voters can vote on a regional list and a provincial list that are not connected to each other. "So it is technically possible to express a preference for an Ars deputy and a preference for a candidate for the Presidency of the Region belonging to a different political alignment", clarifies the Sicilian region.
How are Ars deputies elected?
You are 70 deputies of the Sicilian Regional Assembly (Ars), 62 are elected with a pure proportional system and threshold of 5%. At the end of the games, 16 seats will be assigned in Palermo, 13 in Catania, 8 in Messina, 6 in Agrigento, 5 in Syracuse and Trapani, 4 in Ragusa, 3 in Caltanissetta and 2 in Enna.
Another 6 seats (and thus we arrive at 68) will be awarded as a prize to the winning presidential candidate. It is, in essence, a blocked list that works from majority premium and allows the coalition connected to the elected president of the Region to obtain a maximum of 42 seats in the Ars. The seats not used for this purpose are distributed, on a proportional basis, to the minority lists that have passed the barrier.
Finally, 1 seat goes to gubernatorial candidate finished second in the preferences and the last one at elected regional president.
President of the Sicily Region: the 7 candidates for the seat
He is elected president of the Region, the head of the regional list that obtains the highest number of valid votes. There are 7 candidates for the chair:
- Renato Schifani, supported by the regional list "Renato Schifani Presidente" and by the provincial lists Forza Italia, Fratelli d'Italia, Lega, Popolari e Autonomists, DC Nuova. Palermitano, former president of the Chamber, belonging to Forza Italia.
- Catherine Chinnici, supported by the regional list "Chinnici Presidente" and by the provincial lists of the Democratic Party and One Hundred Steps to Sicily. Daughter of Rocco Chinnici, the magistrate creator of the Palermo anti-mafia pool killed in July 1983, Chinnici was initially also supported by the M5S. But the break between the two parties due to the fall of the Draghi government has led to a split in the alliance also at the regional level.
- Gaetano Armao, supported by the regional list “Azione-Italia viva – Calenda” and by the provincial list Action-Italia viva – Calenda. Former councilor in the board of Nello Musumeci.
- Nuncio Di Paola, called Nuccio, supported by the regional list "Movimento 5 stelle 2050" and by the provincial list "Movimento 5 stelle 2050". Former group leader of the M5S in the Sicilian regional assembly.
- Cateno DeLuca, supported by the regional list “De Luca Mayor of Sicily” and by the provincial lists Sicilia Vera, De Luca Mayor of Sicily – South calls North: Pride of Sicily with Cateno, Basta Mafie, Terra d'Amuri, Young Sicilians, Sicilian Autonomy, Impresa Sicilia , I work in Sicily;. Former mayor of Messina.
- Eliana Silvia Saturnia Esposito, supported by the regional list "Siciliani Liberi" and the provincial list "Siciliani Liberi".
- Fabius Major supported by Italia Sovrana and Popolare.
