"If we had been in the hands of Salvini there would be 300 thousand victims of Covid instead of 140 thousand". The words of the microbiologist Andrea Crisanti, the leading candidate in Europe with the Democratic Party, ignite the clash between the center-right and the center-left and report, at least for one day, the Covid theme in the electoral campaign.

Matteo Salvini limits himself to citing the virologist Giorgio Palù, who defined Crisanti " expert in mosquitoes ", but the rest of the League reacts compactly and asks Letta to disassociate himself: "Speculating on the dead, Crisanti's attacks on Salvini are nothing short of shameful ".

The dem secretary, on the contrary, openly sided with his candidate: " On the right, the no vax culture prevails , we remember the 'open, open, open'".

Health Minister Roberto Speranza adds to the dose: "Unfortunately, on the part of the right, there have been too many ambiguities in this area of some members of the parties of Meloni and Salvini." For Massimiliano Romeo, group leader of the League in the Senate, "while the League-led Regions were at the forefront of fighting the battle against the virus, Crisanti was engaged in his TV show with purposes now known to all ".

The argument also ends at the center of a triangular question and answer between Letta, Carlo Calenda and Matteo Renzi. The latter, in commenting on the microbiologist's race, had expressed the fear "that at the first cold we get a two-month quarantine ".

Pd secretary caustic: “The merits of Crisanti's candidacy. Everyone says what they really think ”. But Calenda is not there: “We have supported all the measures taken by the various governments with loyalty. Do not exploit the pandemic ”.

For his part, Crisanti explained why his candidacy with the Democratic Party should not come as a surprise: “I have been in contact with the Democratic Party for years, since 2016 I have been a member of the London club and at the time of Berlinguer I was a member of the Fgci. There has not been a major change of political orientation, the London club proposed my name and the party leadership accepted it ”, his words.

Crisanti did not just attack Salvini, he also took it out on Renzi: " During the pandemic he got it all wrong ".

(Unioneonline / L)

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