Mussolini echoes as Rome picks far-right mayor

Published on Monday 28 April 2008 22:24

ROME last night elected its first right-wing mayor since the rule of Benito Mussolini, in a poll that mirrored prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's national victory earlier this month.

Giovanni Alemanno, 50, a former member of the far-right MSI, which included elements of Mussolini's Fascist Party, had been favourite to beat centre-left opponent Francesco Rutelli.

Mr Alemanno, who had the backing of Mr Berlusconi at several rallies, has pledged to tackle crime and illegal immigration in a city that saw the rape and murder of an admiral's wife last November by a Romany gypsy.

Rome is traditionally a stronghold of the centre-left.

Hundreds of Alemanno supporters celebrated in Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio, in front of the municipal offices, waving Italian flags and singing the national anthem.

Underscoring the support that he enjoys among the extreme right, a few revellers greeted Mr Alemanno with stiff-armed fascist salutes as he arrived at the victory celebration.

Speaking earlier at his headquarters, Mr Alemanno promised to be "a mayor for all Romans".

He said: "This wasn't a victory for a party but for the whole of Rome. The result shows I received broad support and I will take that into account when governing the city."

He added: "A system of power that seemed perfect has collapsed and disappeared."

Figures showed that turnout was dramatically down on previous elections and the vote was held after an initial ballot failed to produce an outright winner – Mr Rutelli took 45.8 per cent while Mr Alemanno had 40.7 per cent. To win, a candidate needed 51 per cent of the vote.

Mr Alemanno, who in his youth was arrested three times for taking part in far-right demonstrations, has attacked the outgoing administration for not doing enough to promote law and order.

He has promised more police on the streets and a crackdown on illegal immigrants and Roma settlements.

He pushed for a change after 15 years of centre-left administrations led by Mr Rutelli and, earlier, by Walter Veltroni, who quit the post earlier this year to challenge Mr Berlusconi in the national vote.

Mr Veltroni sought to raise Rome's cultural profile with concerts and a film festival. But critics said he overlooked chronic problems, such as congestion.

"I did my duty," Mr Rutelli said after calling Mr Alemanno to concede defeat. "There was a desire, a somewhat natural desire, for a change after such a long cycle of government."

Mr Alemanno is married to Isabella Rauti, the daughter of far-right diehard Pino Rauti, and wears a Celtic cross, which in Italy is a symbol of the far right, though he insists it is a religious symbol.

Last night Mr Alemanno dedicated his victory to Gianfranco Fini, the former leader of the MSI, which became the Alleanza Nazionale.

He added: "We have won a long battle. When you win you have to be generous, so we will leave all the controversy and poison of this campaign behind us. I will be a mayor for all."

Mr Alemanno had served as agriculture minister in Mr Berlusconi's last governments.

The win was an unexpected bonus for Mr Berlusconi, whose centre-right overwhelmingly won an national election earlier this month and already holds power in the financial capital, Milan.

Mr Berlusconi hailed it as a "historic victory" that "cemented our success" at the national election.

ATTACKS FUEL ANGER

GIOVANNI Alemanno's win – celebrated by supporters, left – followed his concentration on two themes: security and immigration.

He vowed to expel 20,000 illegal Romanian immigrants.

"Romania joined the EU in January last year. Prodi's administration had six months to clamp down on immigration," he said.

The rape of a woman in the city ten days before the vote shocked the capital and recalled an attack last autumn in which a Romanian immigrant was arrested for beating Giovanna Reggiani, 47, to death.

Mr Alemanno said his first act as mayor would be to visit Mrs Reggiani's widower "and promise him that what happened to his wife would never happen again".