S&D group president Gianni Pittella running for the Italian Senate

Bruxelles – The S&D group president and PD Mep, Gianni Pittella, will run for the Italian Senate in the next general elections, to be held on March the 4th. Such a possibility has been circulating as rumor in the last weeks (followed with special attention by local media of Basilicata, the Region where Pittella comes from), and was turned in official decision on Friday night, when electoral lists were drafted.

Pittella will run for the the upper house of the Italian Parliament in the constituency of Potenza, southern city where he can counts on a huge votes quota. After nearly 19 years spent between Brussels and Strasbourg, the S&D group president is ready to come back to the Italian Parliament, where he served as Chamber of deputies member from 1996 and 1999.

“Next Italian elections will be a turning point for the future of Italy as well as the future of Europe as a whole”, Pittella said by announcing his candidacy. “The Democratic Party remains the last defence against the risk for Italy of falling in xenophobic and populist movements”

The candidate senator then explained that “in order to win these important elections, Matteo Renzi and the Democratic Party have asked me to run for the Senate”. After such a request, “as an act of duty and responsibility towards my party, towards Italy and towards Europe, I have decided to accept this challenge”. The S&D group chief does believes that this “will not be an easy battle”, as Italian politics “has entered the troubled waters”. So, he stressed, “I will have to spend time and energy for the campaign, in Italy”.

Anyway, Pittella has not intention of leaving is S&D seat at the European Parliament for the time being. “I will not give up with my functions of S&D group. In full cooperation with the vicepresidents we will define how to manage the group in the best efficient way in the coming weeks. Our battle for a more progressivist Europe goes on”.

Emozionato e fiero di aver accettato la candidatura al Senato della Repubblica. Ed ora avanti verso la vittoria! pic.twitter.com/qVDftFy82G

— Gianni Pittella (@giannipittella) January 28, 2018