“The theater of the first Republic has already started again, for which everyone says they have won. We are not among those. In the vast majority of cities where there was a vote, our candidates are above 40%, but we are a team that always wants to win, so when we win almost everywhere but not everywhere we are not satisfied. The result of these elections is not a debacle, but it is not enough for us”. This was stated by the premier and secretary of the Democratic Party, Matteo Renzi, the day after the first round of local elections.
“LOCAL RESULTS HAVE NO NATIONAL VALUE”
In any case, according to Renzi “giving a uniform political reading of these results at national level is a work of fantasy. Voting responds to totally local dynamics. Voters know how to choose, they zap the ballot paper as it should be. If a candidate convinces them they vote for him, otherwise not. In local elections, Italians vote on the basis of what local administrative experience suggests. The fact is that there is a freedom to vote which makes it impossible for commentators to give a uniform national judgement”.
Therefore, in the administrative elections, “the citizens voted for the mayors – continued Renzi – and this explains why we obtained a very strong or very bad consensus in neighboring territorial areas. In 7 out of 8 municipalities in the province of Naples we won in the first round, while in the capital we didn't even go to the ballot. In Bologna, Ravenna and Rimini there are very different results, yet they are the same areas. But this also applies to others: why is the 5 Star Movement doing well in Rome and collapsing in Milan and Naples?”.
“BERLUSCONI IS ON THE RIGHT”
As for the results of the other political forces, the secretary of the Democratic Party underlined that “in Rome the right has gone badly, as in Turin, while in Milan the center-right exists. It is very difficult to give a uniform picture even of the centre-right. Berlusconi doubles the League in Milan. Merit of Parisi? Perhaps. When I read that Salvini is satisfied with 2,6% in Rome… Best wishes! But be careful not to be superficial: the centre-right is there, Forza Italia is there”.
“LEOPARD SPOT M5S”
The 5 Stars, on the other hand, “got a very good result in Rome, 35% – Renzi said again -, a good result in Turin, even if they are 11 points below Fassino. I think they go to the ballot in Carbonia, but then they failed spectacularly in Milan, Bologna, Trieste, Naples and many other cities. The general result is patchy”.
"RAGGI PINK JERSEY IN ROME, BUT GIACHETTI CAN DO THE BUSINESS"
In the Capital, “we know that Raggi has the pink jersey – added the number one of the Democratic Party -, but we hope that Giachetti will do the job. It is evident that in Rome he weighed the protest vote, partly attributable to the political crisis, but which has an evident correlation with what has happened in this city in recent years ”.
On the other hand, for Renzi, “Giachetti performed a half-miracle in Rome. Honor to merit: he has had a very difficult campaign and the match will be played in the ballot as in Milan, Bologna, Turin, Trieste and in the other municipalities where we are in the second round. If Giachetti starts talking about what he can do for Rome and shows the difference, it will be a fun ballot. I believe that in the ballot we always start from zero to zero”.
"IN NAPLES I WILL PROPOSE A VERY STRONG COMMISSIONER SOLUTION TO START AGAIN FROM ZERO"
The result that most disappointed Renzi was that of Naples: “It is the worst result of the Democratic Party, which has not been able to express itself at its best in this city for some years now. The problem is the city, not the province. If we look at Campania's data, we win in the first round in Salerno and do very well in Caserta. Naples, on the other hand, has problems it has to face and we will commit ourselves: at the first meeting of the party after the ballot, I will make a proposal on the city of Naples. I will propose a very strong commissioner solution to start from scratch. After losing in 2011 and 2016, you can't ignore it."
"IN MILAN, ROOMS VERY WELL, IT CAN GO EVEN BETTER IN THE BALLOT"
On the Milanese front, according to Renzi “Beppe Sala is an excellent candidate and has all the credentials to make it. He stands at 41 and 9 percent: it's one of our best results. I am not disappointed at all. Sala did a great job at Expo and was chosen by the Milanese in the primaries. I'm glad there was a civil confrontation with Parisi. I think Sala did very well in the first round and can do even better in the run-off."
"WHO IS ON THE LEFT OF THE PD VOTE 5 STARS"
Furthermore, the number one of the Democratic Party believes that “the voters to the left of the Democratic Party prefer to vote for 5 Stars rather than the various movements on the left. It seems to me incontrovertible, given the results of Airaudo in Turin or Fassina in Rome, between 4 and 5 percent".
"THOSE WHO ARE AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT WILL VOTE YES IN THE REFERENDUM"
Finally, a passage on the constitutional referendum. To those who asked him if the local elections represent a signal in view of the October vote, Renzi replied that "administrative and referendum are profoundly different matches. I think that a large part of the people who voted in protest today can only vote yes in the referendum. The referendum mechanism is not: do you want this reform or do you want another? But: do you want reform or do you want none? We think that Italians are very attentive to the reality of the facts, they know what they are going to vote for. Those who are against the system and the establishment must vote yes in the referendum, otherwise they will find the establishment stronger than before”.
