Benevento – "Clean lists? There's no doubt about it: they're a guarantee for everyone—parties, candidates, and voters." With these words, Roberto Fico, the center-left presidential candidate in the upcoming regional elections in Campania, launched his campaign in Morcone, in the heart of the Sannio region.
The former Speaker of the Chamber reiterated his request to his allies: each candidate must present a criminal record and pending charges. "This isn't about judicialism," he clarified, "but an act of political and moral responsibility."
The challenge of transparency
The topic of clean slates thus returns to the center of political debate in Campania. A historically sensitive issue in a region where the relationship between politics, clientelism, and criminal infiltration has always been a sensitive one.
Fico's move, intended to define his candidacy with ethical rigor, aims to differentiate him not only from the center-right led by Stefano Caldoro, but also from that segment of local politics that over the years has shown ambiguity or gray areas in the selection of the ruling class.
Coalition on the move
Fico's request now presents the center-left coalition with a concrete challenge: accept a path of maximum transparency or risk internal divisions.
Some representatives of the allied parties, while supporting the idea in principle, fear that the rigidity of the criteria could exclude figures with local roots, reducing the electoral weight of the lists. Others, however, see the proposal as an opportunity to boost the credibility of regional politics, often perceived by citizens as distant and compromised.
A message to voters
With this move, Fico aims to strengthen his image as a candidate outside of the mainstream, evoking the values of legality and responsibility that characterized his experience in the Five Star Movement . The message is directed primarily at the undecided and disillusioned electorate, which has fueled abstentionism in recent years. "This is not about legalism," he emphasized, "but a commitment to seriousness toward citizens."
An uphill campaign
The situation remains complex: the center-right is starting from a consolidated alliance, while the center-left has yet to find a definitive solution for the lists and candidates. The issue raised by Fico could therefore become a decisive test: a symbol of a new political phase in Campania, or a battleground between those who seek formal purity and those who prioritize electoral effectiveness.
Fico's words are interesting, but I don't know if they will actually be followed by all the candidates. The issue of clean lists is complicated and requires deep reflection by all the allies. Let's hope there are no splits.