Low turnout at the by-elections in Reggio Calabria: only 10.26% at 7pm

The Vannacci-centre-right challenge does not seem to be sparking any excitement in Reggio at the moment. The turnout recorded at 7pm, on the first day of voting for the by-elections in the Chamber in constituency 5 Reggio Calabria-Locri, was in fact 10.26%. Four years ago, when the elections were held throughout Italy, at the same time it was 35.48%. It must be said that in 2022 voting took place on just one day and the turnout was three, compared to four in this round which lasted two days.

Tomorrow, in fact, the polls will reopen at 7am and close at 3pm, when the counting will begin. Furthermore, of the 345,788 eligible voters, 58,729 are resident abroad and this naturally affects the turnout percentage. In any case, on the Reggio consultations - which became necessary after the resignation of the Italian Francesco Cannizzaro, elected mayor of Reggio - the attention of national politics remains high after the entry into the field of Roberto Vannacci with the candidacy for National Future of Domenico Giannetta, taken from Forza Italia, of which he was group leader in the Regional Council, a few hours after the presentation of the lists.

For the general it is the first concrete test, in the field, since he announced the birth of his new party. So far the polls are smiling at him. The one in Reggio is the first real test with the ballot boxes, where intentions do not count but votes. Vannacci himself thought to add spice to a rancorous electoral campaign on the eve of the vote with the story of the fake photo of the Forzista undersecretary Matilde Siracusano, partner of the Calabrian governor Roberto Occhiuto, deputy national secretary of the party. Despite the reactions and accusations from the entire political spectrum, he continued on his path. And today, again on Facebook, he joked "Thank you Matilde. Tomorrow, a leap forward for Futuro Nazionale in the polls".

His objective in the by-elections, not too veiled, is to erode votes from the center-right which is nominating Forza Italia treasurer Fabio Roscioli, close to the Berlusconi family, perhaps managing to win the head of cardiology Frank Benedetto, an expression of the broad camp that includes all the oppositions from M5S to Italia Viva. If he succeeded, he could claim a decisive role in directing the result of next year's political elections towards the centre-right. A topic that monopolized much of the electoral campaign. The supplementary elections in Reggio also gave rise to a curiosity. Benedetto was the only one of the four candidates able to vote.

Roscioli, in fact, does not reside in Calabria, while Giannetta and Francesco Toscano (Sovereign People's Democracy) reside in the Reggio area but in municipalities that do not fall within the constituency interested in the vote, the first in Oppido Mamertina and the second in Gioia Tauro. Instead, Cannizzaro went to vote, who on his Facebook profile addressed an invitation to voters to vote accompanied by a photo of him placing his ballot paper in the ballot box. Now the time for proclamations is over. Tomorrow at 3pm the polls will open and the counting of votes will begin. And we will know who can claim victory.