Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
by the Editorial Staff
14 November 2026
PALERMO / POLITICS – A political outpost far from the city centre’s drawing rooms to send a signal to the outskirts. With this aim, Controcorrente – Progetto Civico Italia has opened its second branch in Palermo, on the first floor of a flat on the busy viale Michelangelo. The ribbon was cut by the leader of Controcorrente, Ismaele La Vardera, together with the national and regional heads of Progetto Civico Italia, Alessandro Onorato and Carmelo Miceli.
According to the member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly himself, the location of the new club is by no means random but reflects a clear choice of side:
“Palermo is mostly made up of outskirts, abandoned areas. Sicily must reclaim its outskirts, and the point of opening a branch here is also this. Not in via Libertà or via Roma: it is certainly also a message we want to send to the blue-blooded politics of via Libertà, which we respect and which we greet,” La Vardera said.
[Image: A moment from the opening of the new Controcorrente – Progetto Civico Italia branch in Palermo]
The message to the broad left and the attack on mayor Lagalla
Engaged in the race for the next regional elections as a candidate for President of the Sicilian Region, La Vardera also addressed the issue of alliances on the centre-left, urging the other political forces not to delay strategic decisions any further:
- The debate within the broad left: while saying he understood the internal dynamics of structured parties such as the Partito Democratico, the leader of Controcorrente recalled that he had already made himself available a year and a half ago, urging the coalition to act immediately without waiting for electoral deadlines and reiterating that “Sicily must return to the centre of national dynamics, not be Rome’s doormat”.
- The jab at Palazzo delle Aquile: on the city front, La Vardera announced that the movement would be able to field its own candidate for the next Palermo municipal elections, harshly criticising the work of the mayor, Roberto Lagalla: “Instead of focusing only on his own re-election, Lagalla should think about the city, which is left to its own devices: outskirts, public transport, the Pudm and much more. Mondello? We need to resolve the issue without reaching June as we did last year; if we do not resolve it, perhaps we are complicit,” he said.
Call for Renato Schifani’s resignation as regional president
During the Palermo meeting, the politician also reiterated his firm opposition to the President of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, calling on him to step down and accusing him of being subservient to Rome’s power balance:
“He should go home. The regional president must have free rein and sit on the Council of Ministers as our Statute says. He is negotiating three seats: one for his son Roberto, one for his ‘travelling companion’ Simona Vicari and one for the regional minister Caruso. We must change the paradigm of presidents subservient to Rome,” La Vardera concluded.
