It is not just a numerical defeat, that of the center-left in the Calabrian regional elections. It is a fault line that runs through proposals and rooting. Carlo Guccione, historical figure of the Calabrian Democratic Party and current exponent of the “national”, analyzes the vote without shortcuts: between forgotten territories, candidacies dropped from above and an opposition incapable of making a plan, the risk is not only losing the elections, but losing the sense of belonging.
«I let the numbers speak. After the citizens have expressed their vote, it is right to start from the figures. Northern district: Occhiuto 154.075, Tridico 140.657. That is: Tridico closed with a gap of 13,488 votes. Central district: Occhiuto 156.474, Tridico 116.706. Occhiuto wins with 39,773 more votes. Southern district: Occhiuto 143,772, Tridico 73,450. A difference in favor of Occhiuto of 69,922 preferences. The data that emerges is that there are more Calabria. Even in the expression of the vote.
In Cosentino, the province of Occhiuto, the center-right wins with a minimal margin. Here, perhaps, the commitment of some centre-left mayors was lacking, given the negative results in their municipalities. But in the South and in the Center, the center-right dominated. Indeed, in Reggio Emilia he obtained almost double the consensus. And here a big problem emerges: rooting, credibility and the “wavering” political proposal. I had the impression that they were trying to imitate and chase after the centre-right but, as has often happened in the past, voters preferred the original copy rather than the imitation.”
Pasquale Tridico’s candidacy was an attempt to bring an authoritative figure to the helm of the Region, a quality technical profile but also a character external to the regional fabric of the party. Would you make that same choice today? Judging by the outcome of the vote, do you still regret not having focused on a more Calabrian profile?
«The novelty of this electoral campaign, after two close rounds, that of 2020 and the following one of 2021, was the unity of the entire centre-left. Indeed, in the penultimate competition, we presented ourselves with three different candidacies (Bruni, De Magistris and Oliverio, ed.). The mistake was not to choose a leader in Calabria but to let the dynamics of the national table prevail. A logic that led to a choice that satisfied only the Roman balance of the center-left but in fact was experienced as a choice made from above that did not involve the territories in the decision. I don’t think it was a question of names, what was missing in this electoral campaign was our idea of Calabria. The citizens did not understand it. Also because a certain left-wing populism, which we have expressed in some proposals (abolition of car tax and hiring of 10 thousand foresters, just as an example, ed.), has given an image of inadequacy and even extraneousness to the regional territorial reality”.
After every defeat, “renewal” is called for, but the real challenge seems to be coherence: understanding who you are and what you want to represent in Calabria.
«It would be ungenerous not to describe what has happened in Calabria in the last four years under Occhiuto. That’s where we have to start again. A few months ago I launched the campaign: “PD wake up”. I did it because I felt the inconclusive, or even complacent, role of the opposition to the Occhiuto government. Not only the silences in the Regional Council but no ability to delve into the merits of the major issues, starting with healthcare. A walk in some Calabrian hospital is not enough to reverse the disaster of the regional system. There was no moment in which we managed, as a regional group, to give a different idea of healthcare by offering solutions and arousing the necessary mobilization around our healthcare project. Indeed, we were satisfied with a few appointments in some hospital or local health authority in Calabria of “friends” or “friends of friends”. A sort of consociativism which is typical of the South and which allows those who govern not to have an opposition pressuring them. Here, this is the real issue on which the center-left and the Democratic Party must start again. We need radical reformism that is capable of breaking the consociational practices and transversalism that has led us to three consecutive defeats. And allow me a joke: there was a lot of discussion about squares, about pro-Palestine mobilisations which also saw massive participation in Calabria and Cosenza. And someone had deluded themselves that those full squares could be the heritage of the centre-left. But, in truth, in the best circumstances, the Democratic Party was considered a guest. Obviously, our divisions on the issues of peace in Palestine and Ukraine did not help us. And I am not convinced by a misleading discussion on the “identity card” of some candidates or on the need for renewal which is obviously a natural process. Let’s close this discussion which leads us not to focus on the real problem: the Democratic Party and the center-left do not have a proposal for Calabria. In the so-called broad field, in Rome as in Calabria, during the debate on the program, only divisions prevail and not consensus on the proposals. I understand, it takes time but it is an unavoidable process. A simple unit is not enough. We need facts. My future? My electoral campaign has just begun.”
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