The electoral climate in Messina comes to life. After the resignation of Mayor Federico Basile, a new piece is added to the mosaic of the transition towards the May elections: the Boards of Directors of the municipal investee companies have collectively relinquished their mandate. A move that comes at a time of strong political pressure, marked by requests for guarantees made by opposition parties.
The decision of the company top management was announced by mayor Basile and presented as a choice of institutional responsibility. The declared objective is to guarantee a clear separation between the technical management of the entities and the political arena of the electoral campaign, preventing the operations of the subsidiaries from ending up at the center of controversy or exploitation.
Basile himself expressed appreciation for the gesture: “I thank the Presidents and members of the Board of Directors for having acted in the city’s interest. They have shown great sense of institutions in such a delicate phase.”
The resignation of the leaders comes a few days after a clear position taken by the opposition. A delegation made up of the Democratic Party, the 5 Star Movement, Green Europe and the Italian Left has in fact requested an urgent meeting with the Prefect, Cosima Di Stani. The parties have expressed concern about the need to safeguard the principles of impartiality and neutrality of public offices and companies in this pre-election phase.
«We believe it is our duty to activate all guarantee instruments – the signatories had jointly declared – so that the distinction between the exercise of public functions and political competition remains clear and incontestable. The role of the Prefecture is central to ensuring a context free from conditioning, even if only perceived.»
The opposition’s initiative, although admittedly “non-controversial”, has turned the spotlight on the management of the subsidiaries, probably pushing towards the acceleration of today’s resignations.