Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
The no-confidence motion against mayor Francesco Italia, ahead of the Municipal council vote on 18 November, has sparked a clash within Syracuse’s centre-right. Once again, Vincenzo Vinciullo, provincial secretary of Grande Sicilia, and Luca Cannata, Fratelli d’Italia MP and vice-chair of the Budget Committee in the Chamber of Deputies, are trading blows through polemical press releases.
At the heart of the dispute is Grande Sicilia’s position, whose representatives are part of the current municipal executive, and the call to reunite the centre-right around a discussion table.
Vinciullo opened the exchange, accusing Cannata of focusing his energies on polemics rather than on administrative issues and the future of the area. “Luca Cannata seems obsessed, these past few weeks, with Grande Sicilia. Every day he insists on polemics and personal attacks,” the provincial secretary said, claiming credit for his movement’s work on the province’s development.
Vinciullo also criticised the Fratelli d’Italia MP for not attending centre-right meetings or coalition gatherings. “If he truly believes the fate of Syracuse’s municipal administration lies in Grande Sicilia’s hands, he should engage in some self-criticism and ask himself why he finds himself completely sidelined. Could it be that he got his political strategy wrong, creating a vacuum around himself?”
Hence the invitation to overcome the divisions through a coordination table, seen as the most appropriate forum to address even the disagreements between the political forces.
Cannata’s reply was swift, shifting the debate directly to Grande Sicilia’s continued presence in the Italia administration. “Is Vinciullo with us or against us? He need only look at where his movement’s members of the municipal executive are sitting. They are in Francesco Italia’s executive. He and Carta are propping up this administration and now they want to call us to a centre-right table to make us share in their failure.”
The MP then explained his absence: “As long as Grande Sicilia remains in the executive with Italia, I will not sit at a table with him.” Cannata defended Fratelli d’Italia’s choice to be in opposition, recalling that the party’s councillors have signed the no-confidence motion and will vote in favour.
In his reply he also cited some figures on the city’s situation: Syracuse ranks 87th out of 106 in the Ecosistema Urbano 2026 report, water network losses stand at 65.1% and public transport use is seven trips per resident per year. He also referenced the province’s position in the Sole 24 Ore quality of life ranking.
Finally, Cannata directly challenged Vinciullo and the member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly Carta, asking them to publicly clarify how Grande Sicilia’s councillors will vote on 18 November.
“If Vinciullo wants to reunite the centre-right in Syracuse, let him start with that vote. If he chooses Italia again, he can keep his majority and answer to the people of Syracuse for his results,” Cannata concluded.
