The outgoing mayor, supported by 5 civic lists, keeps his seat: he collects 55.39% of the preferences, while the challenger Ferdinando Messina, candidate of the centre-right coalition, stops at 44.61%. The final turnout is 38.74%. “A net result. The desire of the city is to give continuity to the administration,” Italy said. The citizens of the Sicilian municipality were called to the polls again after no candidate had reached 40% plus one of the preferences in the first round
Francesco Italia maintains the seat of mayor in Syracuse, one of the four Sicilian municipalities called to the ballot after no candidate obtained 40% plus one of the preferences in the first round of the administrative elections of 28 and 29 May. When all 123 sections were scrutinized, Italy – outgoing mayor supported by 5 civic lists – collected 55.39% of the preferences while the challenger Ferdinando Messina – candidate of the centre-right coalition – stopped at 44.61%. The definitive turnout is 38.74%, while in the first round it was 54.84% (-16.10%). For the second round of the Municipal elections, the polling stations remained open yesterday, Sunday 11 June, from 7 to 23 and today from 7 to 15. Then the ballots began immediately (THE ELECTION SPECIAL – THE RESULTS).
Who were the two candidates
Ferdinando Messina and Francesco Italia were therefore the two candidates who challenged each other in the ballot in Syracuse. Messina was ahead in the first round, but Italy won in the end. Italia, a member of the Action secretariat, was therefore reconfirmed as mayor. Entrepreneur and activist, he graduated in Law from the State University of Milan, specializing in marketing and business communication. Five civic lists supported him: Francesco Italia Mayor, Oltre Movimento per la Rigenerazione, Noi per la Città, Edy Bandiera Mayor, Syracuse Greener. “It was a clear result, many things were important to achieve it. The desire of the city is to give continuity to the administration which, with all the difficulties, has completed historic things, has brought the city to a level of notoriety and on this basis we continue”, said Italia during the celebrations in Piazza della Repubblica. “I will be the mayor of everyone, even of those who didn’t vote for me and I’m starting from the things that haven’t worked in recent years,” he added. “We have proposed an alternative to the city that has chosen in a different way, believing that the Italian administration should continue on this administrative path. We take note of it. We have put our passion and our enthusiasm into it”, said Ferdinando Messina commenting on the defeat. Messina, in service to the Superintendence of Syracuse, was president of the city council and councilor for the historic centre. Former UDC passed to Forza Italia, he had the support of the entire centre-right. Eleven lists supported him: at seven of the coalition (Forza Italia, Syracuse protagonist with Vinciullo, Fratelli d’Italia, Insieme, Nuova Democrazia Cristiana, Laboratorio Civico and Popolari e Autonomists) were joined by the civic list of Michele Mangiafico and the three civic lists which in the first round had supported the former mayor Giancarlo Garozzo.
How the first round had gone in Syracuse
Two weeks ago, in the first round, the candidate who had obtained the most votes was Ferdinando Messina, first with 32.22% of the preferences. According to Francesco Italia, who had taken 23.89%. Slightly behind, in third position, the candidate of the centre-left-5 Star Movement Renata Giunta with 19.41%. The former mayor Giancarlo Garozzo (Fuori Sistema, Grande Siracusa and SiAmo Siracusa), Michele Mangiafico (Movimento Civico 4), Edy Bandiera (Udc, Salviamo Siracusa and Lista with Edy Mayor), Roberto Trigilio (South calls North) took lower percentages De Luca and Trigilio Mayor of Sicily Vera) and Abdelaaziz Mouddih, known as ‘Aziz’, supported by Vespri Siciliani.
Source-tg24.sky.it