Victory amid controversy for Ignazio Marino, who asserts himself in the center-left primaries for the race for the next municipal elections in Rome. “At the end of May we must free the Capitol from an obscure policy – the new mayoral candidate commented hotly -. We will change everything, and we will do it together”.
According to the promoting committee "Roma Bene Comune", the votes were held regularly. Yet many suspect irregularities, above all due to the presence of Roma and non-EU citizens at the gazebos. "Pre-fascist controversies", commented by the committee.
In all, over 100 people went to the polls and Marino came close to 50% of the preferences. The data are not yet official, but the ranking seems difficult to change: second place went to MEP David Sassoli (with a gap of more than 20 points), in third place was former minister Paolo Gentiloni (around 15%, despite Renzi's official endorsement). Much more detached (below 5%) were the municipal councilor of Sel Gemma Azuni (but Vendola's party supported Marino), the Renziana Patrizia Prestipino and the socialist Mattia Di Tommaso.
Born in 1955, Genoese, Swiss mother and Sicilian father, Marino is a surgeon specialized in transplants. After graduating from the Catholic University, he began working at the Gemelli Hospital, but soon left Italy for England (Cambridge), then left for the United States, where he landed at the University of Pittsburgh, a world-class center for the transplants. In 1993 he became co-director of the Transplant Center of the "Veterans Affairs Medical Center" and in 1999 he contributed to founding and directing Ismett, the multi-organ transplant center in Palermo. For a time he also directed the Department of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
In March 2006 he ran as an independent candidate on the Democratic Left list for the Senate and was elected senator, covering the position of president of the XII Hygiene and Health Commission. Re-elected to Palazzo Madama in 2008 with the Democratic Party, he also became president of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the effectiveness and efficiency of the National Health Service. In 2009 he challenged Pier Luigi Bersani and Dario Franceschini in the primaries for the leadership of the Democratic Party: with a program centered on the revival of merit, civil rights, health, secularism and the environment, he obtained third place with 15% of the preferences. To date Marino is a senator of the Democratic Party elected in the Piedmont Region and, with yesterday's primaries, he is now aiming straight for the Campidoglio.
Of the short thank-you speech, the challenge launched by Marino to the 5 Star Movement is particularly significant: “I have already tried to challenge the M5S, but I have never received an answer – said the new candidate -. Now I challenge them: I intend to take all strategic decisions with a referendum on guidelines. Does M5S agree?”.
The comment on twitter by the new president of the Lazio Region, Nicola Zingaretti, was laconic: "Come on, Ignazio".
