In a post on Facebook, Roberto Speranza communicated the reason why, months ago, he decided not to run for president of the Basilicata Region. The death threats and insults he still receives daily from anti-vaxers.

" The death threats and daily insults from splinters of the anti-vax galaxy continue incessantly ," writes the former Minister of Health, born in Potenza in 1979.

«I have read some reconstructions, which in my opinion are senseless, but which always start from a fundamental removal which for me is unacceptable: what it meant and what the consequences are of having been minister of health during the Covid 19 pandemic . They are continuous the incitement to personal hatred on social media and also from a limited but very loud section of the publishing world ", he continues.

A climate that has "worsened further" with the announcement of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into Covid and which, explains Speranza, " still forces me to live under guard with all that this entails for me and my loved ones ".

«With these arguments, essentially of a personal nature - adds the deputy - I asked the two leaders of the Democratic Party and 5 Star not to consider my willingness to run for leadership of the Region for the next elections in April . I also did it out of respect for the land I love, my Basilicata. Whoever is applying to lead it must be ready to give everything of himself, 24 hours a day, putting this function before any other thought or concern. Just like I did over the years as a minister. Running to lead a region is a life choice that requires total commitment."

In the final part of the post, Speranza writes that «these are reasons that I believe deserve respect. To these considerations which are essential for me, I add another non-trivial one. I was elected only a year and a half ago to the Chamber of Deputies by making a pact with the voters of the Naples constituency who placed their trust in me. I have always found the leap from one candidacy to another in such a short time surreal , as if the institutions were taxis for moving from one position to another without caring about the popular mandate. It's not my way of serving the institutions. I hope that these few lines will help to clarify the meaning of my choices."