“25 days before the European Championships…”: how politics reacted to Toti’s arrest
Everyone lined up to collect comments, from north to south of the country, from left to right of the political spectrum
ROME – The arrest by Giovanni Toti has upset the political agenda. The President of the Liguria Region is a very prominent profile at a national level, as well as holding an important institutional position. A name and face known and recognized even by those who do not actively participate in public life, also thanks to his past as a television presenter.
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It is inevitable that the precautionary measures issued by the Genoa Prosecutor’s Office have an enormous resonance – in the media and beyond. Everyone lined up to collect comments, from north to south of the country, from left to right of the political spectrum.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE LAZIO REGION, ROCCA: “25 DAYS FROM EUROPEAN…”
The president of the Lazio Region Francesco Rocca “The arrest of Giovanni Toti? A sad event. The usual phrase is ‘let’s wait for the judiciary to take its course ‘ because it is necessary to respect his decisions. It was confirmed that these are events of 2020, without controversy and on an instinctive level I say that 25 days before the elections this leaves me thinking years, a month before or a month after, why now?”.
THE LEADER OF THE M5S, GIUSEPPE CONTE: “SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS”
“The investigation has just come out. It seems there are precise facts, serious accusations. It is good that Toti draws the consequences from it to protect the institutions from a discredit that hurts everyone” . The M5s leader, Giuseppe Conte, says this on the sidelines of the general states of accountants. “I appeal to citizens to go and vote en masse so there will no longer be a need to pay and we will be able to contain this malfeasance”, concludes the five-star leader.
THE PRESIDENT OF FVG , FEDRIGA: “IT IS AN INVESTIGATION, NOT A CONVICTION”
The president of the Conference of the Regions and governor of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Massimiliano Fedriga: “It seems to me that pieces of news have come out, so with respect for this investigation, let’s wait and see what the judge will say investigation and above all how it will develop. I would ask everyone to use maximum caution because we are talking about an investigation and not a conviction.” “We have seen cases in the past of people who have been under investigation, even regional presidents from right to left, I’m thinking of Errani from Emilia-Romagna – continues Fedriga – and after everything ended with a sentence of ‘the fact does not exist’ I would use caution, and I also ask the national newspapers to use it equally, because using every investigation that opens as a cudgel is a reduction of democracy in our country. It is right that there are investigations – specifies the president – if there is a hypothesis of a crime, but they are hypotheses that. they must be confirmed by a sentence”, he concludes.
THE PD: “YOU RESIGN, ELECTIONS IMMEDIATELY”
The Democratic Party of Genoa and Liguria: “What emerged from the investigation’s investigations certifies a disgusting way of doing politics, aimed only at the management and division of power. The judiciary will take its course with respect to individual criminal responsibilities, however today the season of the centre-right in Liguria must end. Toti resigns and there must be new elections immediately“. “In recent years the Democratic Party, at all levels, has denounced the damage and consequences that this management of politics has caused to healthcare, work, infrastructure and social services. Certain patronage policies have undermined a basic economy for Liguria – the dems continue – what emerges highlights how ports and supermarkets have been transformed into centers of murky practices and behaviours, the other side of communication campaigns of ferocious political arrogance”. For the Democratic Party, “it is difficult today not to think that the Ligurian health disaster and the school disaster are the result of a plan that wanted to hand over Liguria to individual segments of the market and profit. We have repeated it many times through the no front, but which was only the front of making the right choices, involving citizens and encouraging participation from those commissioner logics with the constant cornering of the opposition and democracy”. According to the dems, “the short distance from the electoral deadlines calls for civic mobilization: in the name of the morality of politics and an idea of a different Liguria. Justice will take its course. Now, however, a change of pace is needed. Liguria needs to look to the future and start a regeneration process”.
DE LUCA: “I’M VERY SORRY”
The president of the Campania Region Vincenzo De Luca “The events that concerned Giovanni Toti? I sincerely learn them from you, I’m very sorry”.
RENZI: “WE ARE GUARANTEED”
Matteo Renzi on the sidelines of the States General of the Accountants underway in Rome: “Toti? We are in opposition to the governor, but we do not carry out the arrests and investigations. We are guaranteeists, and we are with our adversaries because it is easy be with those who think like you.”