Naples – Gaetano Manfredi, mayor of Naples and president of Anci, spoke today on the debate regarding the possibility of a third term for regional presidents, underlining the need for clear and organic legislative intervention rather than an emergency measure.
“The possibility of a third term for a governor must be regulated by a parliamentary law, not by a decree,” declared the mayor, on the sidelines of the event “Progetti in Volo”, organized by Gesac in the neighborhoods surrounding Capodichino airport.
A question of fairness
Manfredi reiterated that, if the term limit for governors were to be changed, the same rule should apply to mayors: “If we decide to eliminate the limit or increase it to three terms for the Regions, we must also do the same for the Municipalities,” he explained.
Otherwise, the only ones bound by the ban on third terms would be the mayors of municipalities with more than 15 inhabitants, creating an inequality of rights that is unjustifiable."
No to ad hoc solutions, yes to a broad comparison
The mayor highlighted the importance of an in-depth parliamentary debate on such a delicate matter: "This is an electoral law, which must be addressed with a structured rule and subjected to a broad debate - he added -. It cannot be managed with extemporaneous measures or those designed for individual cases".
The position of the Anci
As president of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, Manfredi has repeatedly raised the issue of regulatory asymmetry between local and regional administrators. Now, with the debate on the third term for governors back in the news, the Anci could relaunch the battle for uniformity of rules, preventing mayors from being the only ones to suffer restrictions.
In the meantime, national politics will have to decide whether to address the issue with a single text or risk creating further imbalances in the system of autonomies.
Manfredi's speech about the third term seems interesting but there are many things to consider. If the law is changed, everyone must follow the same rules to avoid confusion and problems between municipalities and regions.