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  • Election day: the government confirms the hypothesis of September 20
  • Elections, Cts: vote and ballots by September

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May 27, 2020 The extension of the date of the regional elections, which "can only be justified for health and emergency reasons, is taking on the outline of a political decision and, it is granted to us, based on partisan convenience, which in our opinion cannot justify the compression of regional legislative autonomy and voters' voting rights ".

It is the letter signed by the governors of Campania, Puglia, Veneto, Liguria and Marche, addressed to Mattarella, to whom they ask for an intervention to prevent the elections from taking place from 20 September onwards, as is the intention of the Government.

"The difficult situation, unprecedented in Republican history, caused by the spread of the Covid-19 virus has certainly required, and still requires - write the five regional presidents to the head of state - emergency measures, with the need for continuous adaptation of the relations between the State and the Regions, in which we have personally engaged in continuous meetings and contacts with the Government. In this context we believe that, despite the difficult moments we have had to face, the principle of loyal collaboration has not failed until when the issue of the renewal of regional legislatures expiring on May 30th was not addressed. This is a very delicate topic because it involves the duration of organs endowed with legislative power elected by universal and direct suffrage, endowed, among other things, pursuant to article 122 of the Constitution, with its own legislative power regarding electoral legislation ".

"The certain duration of the legislative bodies - continues the letter - is a fundamental principle of the democratic state, so much so that the Constitution itself provides certain times for the reconstitution of the Chambers (art. 61) and the prohibition of their extension if not in case of war (art. 60) In consideration of the peculiar health situation in progress, the Government, with Legislative Decree 26/2020, decided to order the extension of the regional legislatures, for a period of three months, that is until August 30 2020, providing however that, unlike what usually happens, the date of the elections can be fixed only in the following 60 days, that is in the months of September and October ".

"Of this decision, taken differently from the opinion made by the Regions - say the five governors - the health motivation was never made public, which justified that from the point of view of the Covid-19 epidemic there are greater risks in the month of July rather than in the autumn months, when all economic, cultural and social activities are allowed since early June and even the movement between regions. On the contrary, as can also be seen from the opinion made in recent days by the Scientific Technical Committee, health needs strongly advise against delaying the elections towards the autumn months, as there may be a resurgence of the virus which would lead to the postponement of the electoral deadline for further, too many, months ".

"We also believe - the governors continue - the setting of a date that jeopardizes the reopening of schools is absolutely inappropriate, putting children at risk in returning to buildings frequented by millions of voters. Finally, we find that a decision that can only be justified by health and emergency reasons is taking on the contours of a political decision and, we are granted, based on partisan convenience, which, in our opinion, cannot justify the compression of regional legislative autonomy and voters' voting rights ".

"We therefore turn to you, as Head of State and Guarantor of the Constitution - concludes the letter signed by Giovanni Toti, Michele Emiliano, Luca Zaia, Vincenzo De Luca and Luca Ceriscioli - to ask you for your authoritative intervention to protect the principle of loyal collaboration among the organs of the Republic on which our Constitution is based, which puts the public interest in the protection of health and the democratic principle on which the Republic is based at the center ".

Black smoke after meeting with Lamorgese
In the evening, the meeting between the Minister of the Interior Luciana Lamorgese and the governors of the five regions close to the elections, De Luca, Emiliano, Ceriscioli, Toti and Zaia, ended with nothing in fact. The topic of the meeting was the date of the votes that had been postponed for the Covid emergency and which according to the government could take place on September 20. The five governors, however, reiterated the maximum opposition on this date, asking to anticipate it and to open a range of possible elections from 27 July. "Voting is a democratic principle, if it goes on like this we are forced to break with the government," said the five governors, according to what has been learned.