Colaianni withdraws his candidacy –

The left cannot find peace in Bari. The former magistrate and former centre-left parliamentarian Nicola Colaianni has announced the withdrawal of his willingness to run as mayor of Bari. These are his words in a note: “I have welcomed the proposal with a spirit of service to stand as a candidate for the centre-left to avoid the division feared by many. I guaranteed the two candidates, and the forces that support them, equal dignity, control over the cleaning of the lists, transparency and, of course, legality. I have found, however, that, despite the substantial ideal and programmatic convergence, rigidities remain which do not make a composition possible”.

“With the same spirit of service – explains Colaianni – I therefore give up the attempt and calmly entrust the two candidates with the task of laying the foundations for mutual support in the further phases of the electoral procedure”. “I thank the numerous people, some unknown before now or long-time abstentionists or even residents in other parts of Italy and therefore animated only by ideal goals who have expressed their solidarity and desire to accompany this fluttering of butterfly wings” , the rest of the teacher’s words, on which Nichi Vendola had tried to make the wide field converge. But Giuseppe Conte, confirming his desire to move forward with Michele Laforgia, his candidate, shattered the possibilities of an agreement with the Democratic Party after the primaries had already been canceled following the investigations involving some local Dem representatives.