(by Emanuela Ricci) The process of preparing for the vote in the next elections in Italy finally begins today. While the parties and movements seek the square to present their electoral programs and to establish which coalition to compete with, the administrative apparatus from today begins to move the first acts that will allow Italians to go to the polls to vote their representatives in Parliament. It is difficult today to establish who or what can make the difference since almost all the teams are, according to the polls, below the 41% threshold required to be declared winners and able to conduct political guidelines for the country and form a executive able to govern with serenity and able to express abroad a sort of political stability, which Italy has really needed for years. This is why coalitions must be created obtorto collo, which it would be aispable and serious to declare immediately before the vote, during the election campaign, because afterwards they would not make sense and would be a further mockery for the Italians who, failing that, would vote "in the dark ".
The certain aspect, according to the statements of the various political parties, is that no one wants to forge alliances with the M5S, at least for now. Although some winks have emerged from statements by political forces that would slightly exceed the minimum threshold of 3%. Faced with an unclear and far from fluid situation, we are preparing for this electoral round which in the end will be exciting and which we hope will express the best possible for Italy. The dates of the procedures for preparing for the vote are given below.
Today the Viminale communicated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the provisional list of foreign residents entitled to vote.
- 8 January: deadline for communicating the exercise of the option for voting in Italy by voters residing abroad.
- from 8 19 January to 16 21 January January: deposit to the Viminale of symbols, of the coalition connection statements, the electoral program, also bearing the indication of the head of political force. The symbols must be presented for the Italian and foreign districts. -
- 22 and 23 January: the Viminale checks the regularity of the marks (symbols). The same Viminale invites you to modify the confusing symbols. Appeals against the invitation to regularize your badge within the term of 48 hours are allowed. The national central electoral office decides within 48 hours from the appeal. - from 8 28 January to 20 29 January: presentation of lists and candidacies at the Court of Appeal or Court of each Italian and foreign constituency. Who did not have a parliamentary group in at least one of the two chambers at the 15 last April (for example + Europa by Emma Bonino) will also have to bring signatures to support the candidatures in each individual constituency.
- 30 January: each Central District Electoral Office verifies the regularity of the presentation of the candidacies. Within 48 hours, appeals to the Central National Electoral Office against the decisions of the Circulation Office are allowed.
- 31 January: publication on the website of the Viminale of deposited symbols. Exercise of the option for correspondence voting in the Foreign Circumscription by Italian citizens temporarily abroad and their cohabiting relatives, who are abroad for at least three months, for study, work or medical care reasons.
- 2 February: appointment of seat presidents.
- within the 4 February: the Interior Ministry communicates to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the list of voters temporarily abroad.
- from 7 to 12 February: designation of tellers.
- within the 8 February: publication of candidate lists on the Viminale website.
- by February 12: publication of the list of coalition links in the list in the Official Gazette.
- by February 14: sending to the electors resident abroad the package containing the certificate and the ballot.
- by February 17: publication of electoral posters.
- from 17 February: prohibition of publication and dissemination of surveys.
- 18 February: term within which the electoral package must reach the electors abroad.
- by February 22: sending of the envelope containing the vote to the Consular Office, by the voters residing abroad.
-in the 16 hours local time of the first March: deadline within which the envelope containing the ballot voted by the Italians residing abroad must reach the Consular Office. The envelopes received will then be sent to Rome with a single shipment, by air and with a diplomatic bag. Cards received after this deadline will be burned.
- from 24 2 March: stop to electoral propaganda.
- from 2 March to 7 4 March: nomination of the list representatives in the seats.
- at 16 3 March: establishment of the electoral offices of the section.
- from 7 to 23 4 March: voter voting in Italy.
- from 23 4 March: opening of the scrutiny operations for the Italian and foreign districts, which must be completed within 14 5 March.
- 23 March: first meeting of the new Chambers.