Three days have passed since Mayor Antonio Decaro announced that the Interior Ministry had signed "an act of war" against the city.
But he shows no signs of abating the political storm unleashed by the Interior Minister's decision to send a commission to Bari to verify the presence of criminal infiltration, after the recent arrests for political-mafia exchange votes.
And that could dissolve the city council in a city that will vote for the renewal of the administration in June.
Meanwhile, tomorrow the Apulian capital will rally around the mayor: citizens, associations, students and unions who promoted the 'Hands off Bari' demonstration will take to the streets.
Decaro, who is also president of the ANCI, continues to receive accusations from the center-right and certificates of solidarity from the center-left.
His party, the Pd, but also the M5s and Alleanza Verdi Sinistra rallied around him.
The common opinion is that sending the commission three months before the vote is "a political maneuver" by the center-right which "has not yet chosen its candidate and which has not won in the city for 20 years".
The president of the Forza Italia senators, Maurizio Gasparri, replies to these suspicions, who met journalists in Bari with the deputy minister of Justice Francesco Paolo Sisto.
"The choice of the centre-right candidate for mayor - assures the senator - will be made regardless of the results of the commission's investigation, which will take months".
Then, speaking of Decaro's tears during Monday's press conference, he joked: "It wasn't clear whether it was a film or an Italian comedy, with the tricolor sash to be put on and taken off, with insults" and with "the employees beating hands. We have been compared to Gomorrah, it is more ridiculous than threatening."
As for the alleged influence of the centre-right exponents on the sending of the commissioners, Sisto underlines that the "parliamentarians of the territory" have "only" asked for clarity from the Minister of the Interior" but "not the dissolution of the Municipality". "Today those responsible of Forza Italia, accusing me of making a 'comedy', Decaro replies, "they claim to have never asked for the dissolution of the Municipality, yet on 27 February Gasparri declared verbatim: 'Our regional coordinators went to the Ministry of the Interior to hypothesize the dissolution of the Municipality.' "We don't know the reasons for this sensational backtracking - he underlines - but we can only rejoice about it.
Enough controversy now.
They apologize to the city for this disaster."
For further information Agenzia ANSA The sentences of a repentant on agreements with Decaro are unfounded, the investigating judge closes them - News - Ansa.it The clans were talking about the mayor: "Decaro doesn't give anything..." (ANSA)
Meanwhile, the appointment of the access commission by the Interior Ministry has arrived: it is Claudio Sammartino, retired prefect;
Antonio Giannelli, vice prefect;
Pio Giuseppe Stola, major of the Scico of the Financial Police.
The decision to send the commission follows the 130 arrests of 26 February with the Internal Code operation which revealed a political-mafia exchange voting system in the 2019 municipal elections. Councilor Carmen ended up under house arrest and in prison respectively Lorusso, elected with the center-right and then passed into the majority that supports Decaro;
and her husband Giacomo Olivieri, former regional councilor.
According to the prosecution, they obtained votes with the help of clan members.
'Hands off Bari' is scheduled for tomorrow at 10.30 in Piazza del Ferrarese.
"We accepted the request of thousands of people from Bari who asked us to organize a demonstration of solidarity with Decaro and in defense of the good name of the city", explains the secretary of the Puglia PD, Domenico De Santis.
The vice-president of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno, will also participate: "We must defend the administration's actions and oppose the right's haphazard attempts to criminalize an entire community."
There will also be a delegation from the M5s, assure Turco and Donno: "Now is the time to strongly reject the political exploitation of the centre-right".
While Nicola Fratoianni, of the Green Left Alliance, launches a jab at the prime minister after the news of the investigation into the Tourism Minister Santanché: "I would advise Meloni to pay more attention to the ministers accused of having defrauded the State" rather than "smearing mayors like Decaro".
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