The new Regional Council of Calabria has officially taken office, the result of the vote of 5 and 6 October, opening a political phase that promises to be intense both for the centre-right majority and for the opposition. As a first act, the Assembly proceeded with the substitution of the councilors appointed as aldermen, thus defining the political structure of the chamber.
Among the new entries include the Forzi players Antonio De Caprio and Piercarlo Chiappetta, who took over from Gianluca Gallo and Pasqualina Straface; for Fratelli d’Italia Daniela Iiriti enters, replacing Giovanni Calabrese, and Filippo Pietropaolo, who takes the place of Antonio Montuoro after the resignation of Wanda Ferro, confirmed as undersecretary of the Interior.
In the League, Giampaolo Bevilacqua replaces Filippo Mancuso, outgoing president of the Council. The session, opened by senior councilor Ferdinando Laghi, had an institutional but also highly symbolic tone. Laghi reminded the chamber of political and moral responsibility, inviting them to place the dignity of the person and social inclusion at the center of legislative action: «The strength of a community – he said – is measured in its ability to leave no one behind».
On a political level, the most significant news is the election of Salvatore Cirillo as president of the Regional Council, a choice which consolidates the internal balance of the majority led by Roberto Occhiuto. He needed 21 majority votes to be elected president of the Regional Council, but Salvatore Cirillo went further, reaching 23 on the first ballot.
Alongside Cirillo, the chamber elected Giacomo Crinó and Giuseppe Ranuccio as vice-presidents, while Luciana De Francesco and Laghi himself will play the role of secretaries-quaestors.
In the progressive camp, however, the first movements of reorganization are recorded. Pasquale Tridico, MEP of the Left group and candidate for president in the latest regional elections, announced the birth of an opposition intergroup that he will personally coordinate: «It will be a compact, tough, tight opposition, in the exclusive interest of the Calabrians – he declared -. We want to build a common front of the progressive camp, capable of countering the center-right and proposing an alternative government.” Tridico also renounced compensation and indemnities, underlining his desire to maintain “an ethical and transparent position” while waiting to clarify his political future within the next thirty days.
For his part, President Occhiuto welcomed with satisfaction the full functioning of the Assembly, hoping for a legislature characterized by collaboration and reform continuity: «I am certain – he commented – that the Regional Council will continue with renewed impetus the work of modernizing Calabria, in the interests of citizens and territories».