One mediation phase ends successfully, another begins. The Piedmont Democratic Party managed to avoid internal counting and united to choose the candidate who will challenge Alberto Cirio in the regional elections next June. Two motions were presented to the assembly, that of the vice-president and PD deputy Chiara Gribaudo, in the orbit of secretary Elly Schlein, and that of Daniele Valle, minority vice-president of the regional council and closest to Bonaccini. Thanks to the step “to the side”, and “step back”, as regional secretary Domenico Rossi underlined when closing his report, the assembly of 250 delegates – out of the 315 summoned – did not divide. In the same hours, a third name appeared, that of Gianna Pentenero, Labor Councilor of the municipality of Turin. The votes of Democrats who chose her as their party's nominee were directed toward her. “I thank Valle and Gribaudo, because they never played an individual match, but they worked to unite,” the first words of Pentenero, “the work they did was serious, important and aimed at building: If I didn't, I wouldn't be here now. From this moment on, hard and complex work awaits us. I hope that we build this path quickly and all together, knowing that we can achieve it: nothing is impossible.”
Large plan ?
And if one phase of mediation, that within the Democratic Party, is ending, another is now opening, that of the coalition. Will the Democrats go alone, with the 5 stars or with an even larger coalition? The experiences in Sardinia and Abruzzo, as well as the difficulties in Basilicata, leave all possibilities open. The main thing is that the Democratic Party is already presenting itself with a name, chosen by its representatives, and that it will have to convince its potential allies to converge towards it. Six months of negotiations with the 5 Stars have so far not resulted in any agreement, but the hypothesis of the vast field has not yet disappeared. “We always invited everyone M5s, Azione, Italia Viva. We have always built, we have never stopped weaving. Until now, we have postponed it while waiting for the alliance to expand. The doors never close but if it hasn't happened so far and it's someone else's responsibility, come on. We must avoid a kind of Burnout of generosity”, said Domenico Rossi, “we will now bring this name to the attention of the 5 Star Movement and other possible allies”.
Who is Gianna Pentenero
Gianna Pentenero, who will be 60 next June, has a long and solid political career in Piedmont. She was mayor of Casalborgone in the Turin region from 1993 to 2004, then councilor for education and professional training in the municipality of Mercedes Bresso from 2005 to 2010. She was re-elected to the regional council in 2010 and again in 2014, receiving again the position of advisor in the council of Sergio Chiamparino. Since 2021 she has been municipal councilor for labor, productive activities, local police and security policies of the city of Turin in the administration of Stefano Lo Russo.
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