Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
NOTO / SYRACUSE / POLITICS – The climate of permanent tension within Syracuse province’s centre-right shows no sign of easing. The friction that emerged during the last municipal vote in the provincial capital never fully healed, turning every electoral deadline into a potential battleground marked by pre-emptive moves, tactical manoeuvring and territorial claims.
The latest chapter concerns the 2027 municipal election in Noto, a strategic municipality in the province’s southern area. The debate has been reignited by Corrado Bonfanti, a former mayor and current provincial secretary of Forza Italia, who has officially declared his candidacy for mayor with a civic approach, launching his campaign without party symbols on the initial posters.
The short circuit over Forza Italia and Gennuso’s intervention
Bonfanti’s bid immediately triggered a political and communications short circuit. Although the candidate chose to run under a civic banner, the member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly for Forza Italia Riccardo Gennuso has repeatedly intervened in the press to endorse Bonfanti as the official candidate and direct representative of the party.
Within the coalition, this move is widely seen as yet another unilateral acceleration. While provincial centre-right forces continue to call for unity and the convening of a joint coordination table, the early designation of names risks undermining the very purpose of prior consultation on the ground.
Balancing the south: Cannata’s role between Noto and Avola
The issue of the Noto candidacy extends beyond municipal boundaries to affect the entire political framework of southern Syracuse province. Noto is an indispensable centre of gravity, and coalition partners are unlikely to accept a top-down decision without comprehensive negotiation.
Attention now turns to the next steps of Fratelli d’Italia and the vice-chair of the Budget Committee in the Chamber of Deputies, Luca Cannata. Political observers are questioning which approach the FdI parliamentarian will adopt:
- Safeguarding overall unity: stepping in to prevent a centre-right split in Noto by advocating a shared method that links the various municipalities heading to the polls, including Avola, where work is under way to re-elect his sister Rossana Cannata.
- The reserved agreement option: or assessing whether there is an underground channel of dialogue between the main factions to define a comprehensive package of candidacies for the southern area, with direct implications for the balance of power in the upcoming Syracuse municipal elections.
Provincial table or open conflict?
The Noto affair thus fits into an already frayed landscape, following recent exchanges over waste management, municipal companies and local administrations. Handling the Noto contest will be a decisive test: without a shared synthesis at the allied forces’ table, the risk that the centre-right slides into a “free-for-all” logic in the southern area will become very real.
