Mayoral election: “It was a tragedy for Rome”

In today’s regional election in Italy, Rome’s mayor Raggi is also fighting for her position. Polls indicate that the populist was voted out of office: Too many problems remained unsolved – not just the garbage.

Early afternoon in the last week of the election campaign in Piazza San Giovanni Da Matha, the entrance to the most popular part of the Trastevere district in Rome: Mayor Virginia Raggi from the Five Star Movement has invited to the election campaign event. The 62-year-old Emilio strolls by and shakes his head when he looks at a Raggi poster. He hopes that she will not be re-elected, he says: “For Rome it was a tragedy”. You just have to look around and see what state the city is in: “Garbage everywhere!” No, says Emilio, Raggi should withdraw and no longer be seen here.

This is not an individual opinion in Italy’s capital. In the summer, according to the survey, 79 percent of Romans said they were against a second term of office for their mayor. But Raggi doesn’t want to be pushed aside so easily: At the beginning of her election campaign, she emphasized that she was concentrating on her re-election, had “no plan B” and otherwise worked from morning to evening – she had a clear conscience.

From 67 to 18 percent

The former political side entrant is fighting for her position, touring the city districts during the election campaign. Even if, like this afternoon in Trastevere, only a few dozen people often come.

But a cameraman from her campaign team films her appearance in order to share pictures on social networks. And as a greeting, the organizers organized an opera tenor. “Vincero” – “I will win”, the young man sings for Raggi.

But the polls say otherwise. Only 18 percent of Romans want to vote for the five-star politician. An unprecedented crash: five years ago, 67 percent voted for Raggi in the second ballot.

Back then, says author and journalist Mario Lavia, citizens had hopes for her – but they were disappointed. If, as it looks like, it fails in the first ballot, it would be the first time in Rome that an incumbent mayor does not make it into the runoff election.

First media star, then failed

In the last election, Raggi was still a celebrated media star as the top candidate of the populist five stars. The “New York Times” also described her as a “new face” and an “anti-establishment candidate”. The trained lawyer, however, says the author Lavia, failed with her populist promises because of reality.

She didn’t manage to get the administration under control – she simply lacked skills. And now the citizens would see that, contrary to the promises, the pressing problems have not been solved: the traffic, the condition of the roads. Lavi considers the appearance of the city, the lack of cleanliness, to be “catastrophic”.

Overflowing, smelly garbage containers shape Rome at the end of Raggi’s term of office. Local public transport also made negative headlines: with underground stations closed for months and old buses that went up in flames. Raggi also had to replace employees who were accused of corruption by the judiciary.

The garbage problem: self-inflicted

On the piazza in Trastevere, however, the 43-year-old refers to her difficult early days in front of the small pile of her supporters. “Rubble” was left behind, there was no money, no tenders. But then, like a good family man, she did the math before the money was spent: for example, to renovate many roads. In her half-hour speech, Raggi says nothing about the current main topic in the city, the garbage crisis that has been going on for months.

Populism expert Lavia points out that Rome’s garbage problems are largely self-inflicted because Raggi’s five-star movement in the region has been reluctant to build garbage incineration plants for years.

After the election, a new mayor should move into the town hall on Capitol Hill. At the top of the polls are lawyer and radio host Enrico Michetti, right-wing candidate, and former finance minister Roberto Gualtieri, who runs for the center-left parties. Also in the running is the former economic development minister and Sky manager Carlo Calenda, who runs for smaller left-wing liberal parties – and who is roughly on par with Raggi in the polls.