The Honorable Matilde Siracusano analyzes the electoral result, claiming the compactness of the center-right around the candidacy of Marcello Scurria and underlining the political anomaly represented by the fifteen lists in the field. The Forza Italia parliamentarian speaks of a “successful experiment”, highlights the collapse of the center-left and defends the work carried out by Scurria on the sanitation of slums, a topic which – she assures – was not used as an electoral propaganda tool. Below are his full statements.
«We are faced with an anomalous phenomenon, with the formation of as many as 15 lists, I think it is almost the only case in Italy, a local phenomenon which is also being questioned in the rest of the country. In recent days I have often been asked how it is possible to have a real “sheet” as a ballot paper; clearly this is a completely peculiar situation.
As regards Messina, the centre-right gathered around Marcello Scurria, but close to him there were also people with completely different sensibilities compared to our coalition: it was an experiment which, in my opinion, worked. Furthermore, the center-left has collapsed, so even at a national level this certainly represents a positive result for us.
I am often asked whether the launch of this very important rehabilitation project – I still remember the exhibition in Rome on the barracks of Messina – and the fact that Scurria himself was president of Arisme for many years, contributing personally, were not enough to give us a greater boost.
We have not used the theme of recovery as a propaganda tool for the electoral campaign in the slightest; I’ve always said it and we’ve done it consistently. Marcello Scurria did an extraordinary and incredible job: he cleared out entire areas, erasing entire areas of the Messina slums. He gave a home and restored dignity to people who had been forgotten by the State, who had raised families and children among rats and sewers. The special law approved in Parliament, addressed with a fundamental operational arm like Marcello, led to an excellent result. This was the real reason why I focused so much on him: because someone who manages to do so much in such a complex area would have been an extraordinary mayor and could have done so much for the city. I am sure that he will do a lot for Messina even from the benches of the City Council.»