Calabria political dispute erupts over regional undersecretaries

A political dispute has emerged in Calabria following a center-right proposal to eliminate the role of regional undersecretaries. Elisa Scutella, the regional group leader for the Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S), has criticized Calabria Governor Roberto Occhiuto, claiming the legislative move is a retreat driven by the fear of losing a scheduled referendum.

Scutella suggests that the referendum, promoted by the opposition, posed a significant political risk to Occhiuto’s potential ambitions within Forza Italia. She noted that the new proposal would allow the seven million euros already allocated for the referendum to be redirected toward measures to combat rising diesel costs, addressing local economic concerns.

Furthermore, Scutella criticized the administration for continuing to spend public funds on legal appeals to the Council of State, despite previous rulings, characterizing the expenditure as an unnecessary drain on regional resources.