by In Trieste
Triestini will vote for a new mayor this weekend in a run-off election after there was no outright winner in the mayoral polls two weeks ago.
The ‘ballottaggio‘ will see Francesco Russo (centre-left) and outgoing mayor Roberto Dipiazza (centre-right) compete for Trieste’s top job this Sunday, 16 October and Monday, 17 October.
In order to be elected mayor in the first round, a candidate must get more than 50 per cent of the vote, otherwise the two highest-polling candidates will head into a run-off.
Russo won 30 per cent of the vote in the first round, with Dipiazza taking 46 per cent, sending them head to head in the ballottaggio on 17-18 October.
Who are the two candidates, what are they proposing, and who is backing them?
Mayor Roberto Dipiazza, 68, is a self-made entrepreneur (he owns various Despar stores around the city) and politician. Former Mayor of Muggia in 1996-2001 for one five-years term, and Mayor of Trieste in 2001-2011 for two five-years consecutives term, he was elected again in 2016 for a new (third) five-years term. This could be his last term as per constitution. Dipiazza is supported by an alliance of three parties on the right, Fratelli d’Italia, the Lega and Forza Italia. Dipiazza promises to continue “doing good for the city” he loves.
Francesco Russo, 52, is an Associate Professor at the University of Udine and politician. After years in parliament in Rome, Russo came back to Trieste and worked as a vice president of Area Science park. Russo is supported by Partito Democratico of Trieste (PD), Italia Viva and Open FVG. If elected, he promises to create work opportunities for the young, get funds from EU for our city’s development and infrastructure and bring Trieste its former glory as the “port of Europe”. Russo runs a well-oiled, well-funded election campaign, surrounding himself with people qualified for their roles rather than being recognizable faces. Like Dipiazza, he has a combative character. He is skilled in the arts of social media, where his rivals frequently face the receiving end of his biting sarcasm.
The run-off election will be held in Trieste on Sunday 17 October from 07.00-23.00 and on Monday 18 October until 15.00. The vote takes place against the back-drop of tensions over Italy’s new Green Pass rules, which came into force on Friday, along with Trieste’s port strike.
