The M5S dossier on invalid ballots for Policies. From Roccella to Bossi, deputies at risk – Corriere.it

There are still contested seats among those assigned in the last political elections. There would be at stake 13 single-member constituencies which were won with minimal difference. And to these we could also add the plurinominal constituencies of the same districts due to the complex rules of the Rosatellum. This claims a study commissioned by the M5s, where it is said that this match could involve thirty-nine parliamentarians among those who would be rescued and those at risk of a seat. According to this study, Minister Eugenia is also among those in the balance Roccellawith Umberto Bossi and Robert Hope.

The issue is in the hands of the House election junta, where the clash has been going on for some time and between Forza Italia and M5S. It all comes from just one appeal of the blues, in particular by Andrea Gentile, who in Calabria was defeated by a few hundred votes by Anna Laura Orrico, of the M5S. In addition Pietro Pittalis, FI, ha tabled an amendment on the assessment of validity or nullity of the Policies files: the centre-right proposes that ballots in which votes have been cast on several lists in support of the same candidate in single-member constituencies, currently considered null, should also be considered valid (ex post).

The M5S lined up against the amendment, speaking of the risk of subverting the citizens’ vote. According to the Movement, which presented a legal opinion, acceptance of the amendment would require a large recount, not only of the disputed seats, involving almost 40 current deputies from all sides. It is not a question of technicalities but of the attempt by the majority to overturn the rules of ex post voting, said the leader of the M5s Giuseppe Conte already several weeks ago, contesting the appeal which could trigger the pinball mechanism with unpredictable consequences. Anna Laura Orrico, however, even if she were to lose against Gentile, she would have to be revived in the plurinominal.

But the pinball machine could lead to upheavals. According to the study commissioned by the M5S, in addition to Roccella, Speranza and Bossi, Elisabetta Piccolotti, Roberto Giachetti, Catia Polidori, Andrea Casu could also risk their seats. Lucia Annibali, the lawyer candidate in Tuscany with the third pole, instead can hope for a repechage. According to the calculations of the study presented by the Five Stars, it would be sufficient for the center-right to recover 85 of the 58,240 void ballots (compared to 1,887,990 valid votes) to change the distribution of seats in several constituencies. The direct effect would be that of one more seat attributed to the third pole and one less seat to the Democratic Party, that of Marco Simiani. Even the former undersecretary for sport Valentina Vezzali among the four candidates of the last Policies who can hope for a repechage. It is not excluded that there may also be an impact on lists that have not reached 3%, such as +Europe. Pittalis disputes the study: This artfully created disinformation, I wonder how we can only hypothesize the outcome of a verification of which we know nothing because the appeals have not been examined and how many may be void. Next Tuesday a new meeting of the junta could be the definitive one.

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