A balance that has not been seen for at least three electoral rounds. Vibo Valentia delivers the choice of mayor who will succeed Maria Limardo, to the runoff scheduled in two weeks. As had been widely predicted and anticipated, not only did none of the four competitors manage to exceed 50%, but neither Roberto Cosentino (candidate from the centre-right and supported by six lists, Forza Italia, Fratelli d'Italia, Forza Vibo, Vibo Unica, Independence and Beyond), nor Enzo Romeo (head of a coalition of four lists, Democratic Party, Centro Studi Progetto Vibo, Five Star Movement and Progressists for Vibo), nor Francesco Muzzopappa (head of an array made up of five groups, Cuore Vibonese, Action with Calenda, Vibo al centro, Insieme al centro and Identità territoriale), nor Marcella Murabito of Rifondazione Comunista, have managed to at least get close to that threshold.
At the end of the counting of the 37 sections Roberto Cosentino ended with 7,058 votes equal to 38.43%, ahead of Enzo Romeo who got 5,863 votes equal to 31.92%. And they will be the ones to go to the ballot. Behind were Francesco Muzzopappa with 5,299 votes and 28.85% and Marcella Murabito with 148 votes and 0.81%. In the end, therefore, the ones who prevailed were Roberto Cosentino, now awaited by a difficult second round of balloting, and Enzo Romeo, the first president of the Province of Vibo, dusted off by the city secretariat of the Democratic Party, led by a young man, Francesco Colelli, who proposed it to an assembly in which there was no shortage of reproaches and succeeded in involving almost the entire progressive coalition. Starting from the Five Star Movement which, after the first signs of tension, converged on him, by virtue of the dialogue which saw the five-star parliamentarian Riccardo Tucci and Enzo Romeo himself as protagonists. As for Roberto Cosentino, 52 years old, general director of the Citadel, he probably found himself having to face the most difficult electoral campaign of the center-right in the last fifteen years.
The votes of the lists
COSENTINO ROBERTO
Forza Italia 1,739 votes – 38.43%
Go Vibo 1,528 votes – 8.43%
Brothers of Italy 1,499 votes – 8.27%
Beyond 1,344 votes – 7.41
Vibo Unica 981 votes – 5.41
Independence 506 votes – 2.79
TOTAL 7,597 votes – 41.89%
ROMEO ENZO
Democratic party 1,798 votes – 9.91%
Vibo Project Study Center 1,672 votes – 9.22%
5 Star Movement 871 votes – 4.80%
Freely Progressives 626 votes – 3.45%
TOTAL 4,967 votes – 27.39%
MUZZOPAPPA FRANCESCO
Heart of Vibona 1,943 votes – 10.71%
Together at the center 1,372 votes – 7.57%
Territorial Identity 1,120 votes – 6.18%
Action – We are Europe 561 votes – 3.09%
I live in the center 473 votes – 2.61
TOTAL 5,469 votes – 30.16
MURABITO MARCELLA
Communist Refoundation 102 votes – 0.56%
Roberto Cosentino – centre-right
“Result below expectations. We didn't have time to make voters understand our project. We will have to try to do it in these 15 days.” Dialogue with the center alliance? “This is the coalition, then it is clear that I am confident of convincing the voters of the center because they are closer to our political area”
Enzo Romeo – centre-left
“I made the agreement with the citizens and I will do it with the people of Vibo also in the run-off. There are no other agreements and I can say that we will not make comparisons. We will dialogue with people because we focus on programs.” These are the first words of Enzo Romeo who recently arrived at the headquarters of his electoral committee on the corner of Viale Kennedy and Via Popilia. Tired, but happy: Romeo brings the center-left back to the ballot and among the supporters there is celebration to the tunes of Fabrizio Moro and Rino Gaetano. On the 23rd and 24th he will challenge Roberto Cosentino and the center-right
Pasquale La Gamba, provincial coordinator of Fratelli d'Italia
Giuseppe Mangialavori – President of the budget commission in the Chamber, Forza Italia
Francesco Colelli – Citizen secretary of the Vibo Valentia PD circle
Tonino Daffina' – plenipotentiary of Forza Italia and very loyal to the President of the Region Roberto Occhiuto.
“A result below expectations, there were three important mayoral candidates on whom the vote was diverted and it is already an important result to have managed to get to the run-off. Now we will think about the choices to be made.” Dialogue with the center? “Certainly this area is more towards the centre-right. We'll see if we can get back to work for the runoff tomorrow.”
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