2024 is the year of the European elections, but in Italy it will also be the year in which the electoral competition will be divided between regional elections (voting in Abruzzo, Basilicata, Piedmont, Sardinia and Umbria) and municipal ones: 3,698 will be called to vote out of almost 8 thousand municipalities. A very substantial electoral round, therefore, which will also largely concern Calabria.
The European elections
Calabria is included in the Southern Italy constituency which includes the regions of Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria. Hunting for reconfirmation are the outgoing European parliamentarians Laura Ferrara (Five Star Movement), Denis Nesci (Brothers of Italy) and Vincenzo Sofo (born in Milan to Calabrian parents and elected in 2019 in the southern Italian constituency). Ferrara, a politician from Cosenza, was elected twice in 2014 and 2019. Five years ago she managed to garner 77,979 preferences and it is likely that she could try to achieve a historic hat trick. Who will certainly be in the game is Denis Nesci, leading man of Fratelli d’Italia. The young politician from Reggio (born in Polistena in 1981) in 2019 won 51,748 preferences, placing himself behind the elected Giorgia Meloni (leader) and Raffaele Fitto. Precisely following the candidacy for the Italian Parliament in 2022 of the current minister for European Affairs, the South, Cohesion Policies and the PNRR, Nesci took over in Strasbourg and now wants to play the game again resulting from the support of the Fratelli d ‘Italy and a wide territorial network of consensus, even beyond Calabria, which arises from the ten-year activity undertaken by his father first and by himself afterwards. Vincenzo Sofo, today in the Brothers of Italy, but elected in 2019 with the League where he garnered 32,062 preferences, will also probably try for an encore. The movements between the parties to try to grab a seat in Europe have started some time ago and in Calabria too the choices to be made are now almost in the home stretch, although everyone is aware that obtaining a seat in Europe is very difficult. There is a whole internal game in the centre-right also in Calabria for the internal leadership between Fratelli d’Italia and Forza Italia with the League standing by. There was talk of the possible candidacy of the President of the Region Roberto Occhiuto, of the Regional Councilor for Agriculture, Gianluca Gallo. But both have, for the moment, declined. The game is also open in the opposition with Pd, M5S, Action and other parties who will have to try to do well in an electoral competition that does not involve alliances, in a proportional mechanism where everyone runs alone to try to overcome the 4% threshold.
Municipalities to vote: the match in Vibo, Corigliano-Rossano, Gioia Tauro and Montalto Uffugo
A provincial capital municipality to vote: Vibo Valentia. Three other municipalities with over 15 thousand inhabitants are voting: Corigliano Rossano (third largest city in Calabria), Gioia Tauro and Montalto Uffugo. The game is open and in these cities it is clear that the local dimension of the vote “appears” with a national interest and with political-electoral choices that could be taken at the Roman tables especially as regards Vibo and Corigliano Rossano. Maria Limardo and Flavio Stasi are chasing confirmation, but the game is uphill for both. Vibo today is the only Calabrian provincial capital governed by the centre-right, which is why the majority political forces have every interest in maintaining the seat in Palazzo Luigi Razza. The outgoing mayor of Forza Italia, Maria Limardo, is ready to run again and in recent days the inauguration of the new municipal theater also and above all served to confirm her position. There are many centrifugal forces underway and Limardo currently enjoys the support only of Forza Italia and Fratelli d’Italia. The other forces that make up the current majority have withdrawn and would prefer to focus on other names. Troubled waters also in the center-left where the Democratic Party has had its candidate for some time, Enzo Romeo, first president of the Province of Vibo. A name which, however, is not liked by the M5S, the Liberamente Progressisti of the regional councilor Antonio Lo Schiavo and the civic movement Umanesimo Sociale of Domenico Consoli. And then there is the entire galaxy of the centre, led by the former mayoral candidate in 2019 Stefano Luciano, who is working secretly to unseat and break the bipolar scheme. In Corigliano Rossano evaluations are underway on the re-nomination of the outgoing mayor Flavio Stasi: the Democratic Party is stalling, while in the centre-right the name of the Fdi senator, Ernesto Rapani, has been mentioned several times. The electoral competitions of Gioia Tauro and Montalto Uffugo are more oriented towards civility.
135 municipalities voting
19 municipalities voting in the province of Catanzaro: Albi, Amato, Cortale, Fossato Serralta, Gagliato, Gimigliano, Marcedusa, Marcellinara, Miglierina, Motta Santa Lucia, Pentone, Pianopoli, San Floro, San Pietro a Maida, Sellia, Sellia Marina, Sorbo San Basile, Squillace, Zagarise.
64 municipalities are voting in the province of Cosenza: Acquaformosa, Acquappesa. Alessandria del Carretto, Altomonte, Amendolara, Aprigliano, Bianchi, Bocchigliero, Buonvicino, Caloveto, Castiglione Cosentino, Cerchiara di Calabria, Cervicati, Civita, Colosimi, Corigliano-Rossano, Cropalati, Crosia, Domanico, Figline Vegliaturo, Firmo, Fiumefreddo Bruzio, Frascineto , Grimaldi, Laino Borgo, Laino Castello, Lappano, Lattarico, Lombards, Malvito, Mendicino, Mongrassano, Montalto Uffugo, Montegiordano, Morano Calabro, Mottafollone, Nocara, Oriolo, Paludi, Parenti, Pedivigliano, Rocca Imperiale, Rose, Roseto Capo Spulico, Greek Rota San Basile, San Benedetto Ullano, San Donato di Ninea, San Giorgio Albanese, San Marco Argentano, Santa Caterina Albanese, Santa Domenica Talao, Santa Maria del Cedro, Santa Sofia d’Epiro, Santo Stefano di Rogliano, Scigliano, Spezzano Albanese , Tarsia, Terranova da Sibari, Torano Castello, Trebisacce, Vaccarizzo Albanese, Verbicaro, Villapiana.
11 municipalities are voting in the province of Crotone: Belvedere di Spinello, Caccuri, Carfizzi, Castelsilano, Melissa, Mesoraca, San Mauro Marchesato, San Nicola dall’Alto, Strongoli, Umbriatico, Verzino.
27 municipalities are voting in the province of Reggio: Agnana Calabra, Ardore, Bagaladi, Benestare, Bivongi, Bova Marina, Canolo, Cardeto, Cittanova, Feroleto della Chiesa, Gerace, Gioia Tauro, Laureana di Borrello, Martone, Monasterace, Oppido Mamertina, Portigliola, Riace, Rizziconi, Roccella, San Giovanni of Gerace, San Lorenzo, San Luca, Sant’Alessio in Aspromonte, Sant’Ilario dello Ionio, Scido, Stignano.
14 municipalities are voting in the province of Vibo: Cessaniti, Drapia, Mileto, Mongiana, Nicotera, Pizzoni, Rombiolo, Simbario, Sorianello, Soriano Calabro, Tropea, Vallelonga, Vibo Valentia, Zungri.