Few aspiring councilors in the municipal elections: "Low salaries and too much responsibility."

In small towns, the search for candidates has become arduous: after all, councilors receive very low salaries, despite their heavy responsibilities. Putting together a list for next June's municipal elections in many towns in the province of Oristano is far from simple. Candidates hoping to occupy the most coveted municipal seat are disappointed: "The disaffection with politics is palpable," they say. "It's easier to find less restrictive forms of participation." But the names of people who put themselves on the line for the good of the country are needed; otherwise, voting is impossible. One of the reasons citizens avoid taking on this type of commitment is the low monthly salary.

"In the Municipality of Arcidano, a councilor who already has a job earns just €150 a month," explains current mayor Davide Fanari, who is ready to run for re-election for the next five years. "If he has a business, however, he doesn't make up to €300. It's not enough, that's clear. That's why so many aren't available. Retirees, on the other hand, want to rest. It's true, however, that, at least in our town, when we ask for help from the community, it always responds concretely. But running for office is not an option." Valeria Manca is one of the candidates for mayor in the Municipality of Arborea: "Those who didn't agree to join my group explained their choice by saying they didn't have time for the town and were too busy with daily commitments." The other candidate who has already come forward, also in Arborea, is Luca Montisci: "We've contacted mainly people of a certain standing," he explains. "Among them, there are those who have decided to take a chance, but also those who, due to lack of time due to their work, have given up.

Unfortunately for us." Andrea Atzori, on the other hand, is the only mayoral candidate in San Vero Milis who has so far come out into the open: "Those who refused to join our group are afraid to take sides and therefore go against someone. Then there's the fear of politics: the commitment of having to do something for the country is scary." Atzori speaks of detachment from the Municipality: "In general, the distance between citizens and administrators has increased because listening has diminished, if not completely stopped. In San Vero, politics is seen as a distant category. Those who run are either already in the "system" or want to shake it up."