Table of Contents
- 1 ORRICO, GENTILE AND THE CONTESTED SEAT IN THE CHAMBER: THE DECISIVE MOMENT IMMINENT
- 2 Orrico Vs Gentile for a seat in the Chamber, everything we know about the Calabrian election gate
- 3 What implications does the ongoing controversy over the Parliamentary seat have on the political landscape in Cosenza?
All the issues, doubts and disputes over the parliamentary seat contested in the Chamber of Deputies between Anna Laura Orrico and Andrea Gentile awaiting the decisive session that will assign the seat in Parliament
THE next session of the Chamber Elections Committee promises to be decisive for the case of the seat contested between the deputy Anna Laura Orrico (M5S), elected in 2022 in the single-member constituency of Cosenza, and Andrea Gentile (Forza Italia), who came second with a margin , in favor of the first, by 484 votes. A handful of votes, which led the blue to resort to Chamber elections committeethe body that has exclusive jurisdiction over the validation of those elected and the evaluation of appeals.
The verification committee began the examination in February, starting from the recount of the blank and invalid ballots of a sample of sections (5% of the college, or 27 out of 506), and then deciding to continue the examination of all of them. We are talking about over 10 thousand null and blank ballots: a significant number, if we consider that in the past legislature the review of the Lazio 1 single-member constituency required the examination of around 4,900 ballots. The recount ended in mid-September and the outcome reversed the result: the gap would now be 240 votes, but in favor of the blue.
ORRICO, GENTILE AND THE CONTESTED SEAT IN THE CHAMBER: THE DECISIVE MOMENT IMMINENT
In the next session, scheduled for Tuesday 19 November 2024, the Council will have to decide whether to proceed with the resolution to contest the election of the five-star party, starting the final phase of the investigation, with the election of Gentile. First, however, he will have to vote on whether or not to continue the verification of the college’s voting operations, moving on to the recount of the valid ballots, requested by Orrico and Elisa Scutellà, the deputy who would lose her seat in the event of Gentile’s victory. Orrico, in fact, obtained the seat in both the proportional and the majority, the election naturally went to the majority, leaving the space free for the proportional where Scutellà took over. In the event of the majority seat being assigned to Gentile, Orrico will be elected on the proportional basis, causing her party colleague to leave Parliament.
It is not the first time that a parliamentarian has been replaced, thus canceling his election. Looking at past legislatures, there is an average of approximately two cases of proposals to annul the elections of incumbent deputies, as a consequence of the verification of powers. However, never before had an appeal given rise to such a long and hard-fought process, which started even before the council started the review and was reported by the Quotidiano del Sud, in all its stages, over the last year and a half. A sort of election gate, in Calabrian style, which also resulted in a complaint presented by Elisa Scutellà to the Prosecutor’s Office and the formulation, in the memories for the Election Council at the end of the recounts, of accusations and suspicions on the regularity of the vote.
Orrico Vs Gentile for a seat in the Chamber, everything we know about the Calabrian election gate
Let’s see the most discussed aspects of the story (click on the topic and read):
What implications does the ongoing controversy over the Parliamentary seat have on the political landscape in Cosenza?
World-today-news.com: Good day, thank you for agreeing to this interview. I’d like to discuss the ongoing controversy surrounding the Parliamentary seat contested in the Chamber of Deputies between Anna Laura Orrico and Andrea Gentile. Can you please introduce yourselves and provide some insight into your thoughts on this issue?
Guest 1: Certainly, my name is Anna Laura Orrico, and I’m honored to be a newly elected member of the Chamber of Deputies, representing the citizens of Cosenza. I’m a member of the Five Star Movement, and I have been dedicated to public service for many years prior to my electoral victory.
Guest 2: I’m Andrea Gentile, and I’m also a public servant who ran for Parliament under the Forza Italia party ticket. While I didn’t win the initial election, I stand by my belief that there were irregularities in the vote count and that I am the rightful winner of this seat.
world-today-news.com: The Chamber Elections Committee is set to make a final decision on this matter on November 19th. What are your expectations from this session, and what outcomes do you foresee?
Guest 1: As the candidate who was initially elected, I am hopeful that the committee will recognize the legitimacy of my victory and confirm my position as the representative for Cosenza. We have gone through a thorough recount process, and the results have consistently favored me.
Guest 2: I agree that there has been a thorough recount process, but it seems like some irregularities were overlooked initially. I am hopeful that the committee will take a close look at all the evidence and come to a just conclusion regarding the election outcome. My expectation is that the final session will result in me being seated as the representative for Cosenza.
world-today-news.com: The verification of the college’s voting operations seems to be a crucial element in this case. Can you explain its importance and how it could affect the outcome of the election?
Guest 1: The verification process aims to ensure that every vote cast is counted accurately and that the elected candidate truly represents the will of the people. In my case, I have maintained the majority vote in both the proportional and majority sections of the election
