Forty-eight hours of chaos on the ground in Basilicata followed the announcement of the candidacy which, according to the intentions of the promoters, was supposed to put an end to the discussions. This did not happen and five weeks before the vote in the Lucanian regional elections, the center-left coalition is squeaking and struggling to find a solution. To challenge the outgoing center-right Vito Bardi, Elly Schlein and Giuseppe Conte had decided to field Domenico Lacerenza, chief doctor of ophthalmology at San Carlo de Potenza. The 5 Stars had in fact rejected the first proposal from the local Democratic Party, Angelo Chiorazzo. A few hours after the announcement, which also brought together +Europa and Avs in a coalition, Carlo Calenda's party made it clear not only that it would not support the name found by the Pd and the 5 Stars, but that it would find alternative solutions. And the confirmation comes from the center-left table around which the big names of the big camp have gathered to try to find a compromise solution. But the distances remain large. “Lacerenza is a very good person, a great surgeon,” explained Marcello Pittella, mayor of Lauria from 2001 to 2005, governor of the Region from 2013 to 2019 and a strong name in Action, to Radio Cusano Campus. But Lacerenza, he continues, “is not a politician and, at this moment, the center-left would need to put in place part of the ruling class that it has and that it does not put in place exclusively due to a series of measures. oppose vetoes. According to Pittella, younger brother of MEP Gianni, “the name of Lacerenza did not fall off the table but for many, he does not have a particularly strong political vocation. We need a candidate with an edge.”
Action on Chiorazzo, 5 star wall
From Rome, the Democratic Party and the other coalition parties reiterated their support for Lacerenza, even if significant fissures appeared at the local level. This is why the Potenza meeting, which ended in black smoke, was necessary. For Calenda, the picture failed: “Tomorrow I will see Pittella to decide what to do.” Pittella again: “We have the responsibility to propose possible solutions: if the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement want to welcome them, otherwise we will continue on our own path.” He therefore makes no secret that no agreement will be found without a change of heart on the name of the head of ophthalmology. “Are the names we mentioned at the table well-known names, both political and civic? Is Angelo Chiorazzo as good? If everyone agrees, Chiorazzo is fine too. But there are opposing vetoes which do not move the machine forward”, adds the Action man. Therefore leaving very little room for negotiation. As he confirms immediately afterwards: “Faced with this impasse, we will choose the best path: either go alone and create another coalition, or conclude a programmatic pact elsewhere.” But the 5 Star Movement has no intention of giving in to the ophthalmologist: “A shortlist of names has been put on the table”, they confirm, “but the 5 Star Movement does not change its position: our candidate is Domenico Lacerenza”. And while the vast field seems to narrow, other blows come from Italia Viva, the leader of Davide Faraone group renaming it “sacred field” and former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi not excluding support for the center-right candidate Bardi: “The leaders of the IVth Basilica. I have an old friendship with Bardi.”
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