The Regional Administrative Court (TAR) for Lombardy, the detached section in Brescia (Second Section), has issued a ruling concerning the appeal submitted by two minority lists regarding the municipal elections held in Sirmione on June 8 and 9, which resulted in the victory of candidate Luisa Lavelli. The appellants contested the validity of the electoral operations, raising several alleged irregularities and requesting the annulment of the elections and their complete re-run. However, the TAR’s decision dismissed the appeal, deeming it “unfounded on all the asserted grounds.”
**Details on the Contested Ballots and Identified Irregularities**
Among the main points of the appeal, the appellants highlighted discrepancies in the numbers of authenticated, used, and remaining ballots across various polling stations. For instance, in Section 1, the number of unused authenticated ballots was found to be four fewer than expected, while one voted ballot was reported missing compared to the number of voters. Similarly, in Section 5, two more voted ballots were recorded than the number of voters, along with a discrepancy in the total number of authenticated ballots. Additionally, some ballots were marked with a standard pencil instead of a non-reproducible one: 40 in Section 5 and 70 in Section 6. Nonetheless, the TAR determined that these irregularities, although documented, were not sufficient to undermine the validity and authenticity of the electoral outcome, as they did not significantly impact the vote margin between the competing lists.
**Statements from Mayor Luisa Lavelli**
Luisa Lavelli, the Mayor of Sirmione, who was re-elected in the June elections, commented on the ruling with satisfaction, emphasizing the clarity provided by the TAR’s decision regarding the legitimacy of the electoral operations. In a statement, the Mayor said: “This ruling—just like the trust already expressed at the polls—represents an additional incentive to continue working for the benefit of the community, guided by transparency, responsibility, and participation.”
**Details of the TAR Decision**
The ruling confirmed that the irregularities raised by the appellants were of a formal rather than substantive nature, and thus incapable of affecting the electoral outcome. The judges emphasized that none of the identified discrepancies were linked to illicit behavior or capable of compromising the authenticity and reliability of the electoral result. The TAR also noted that many of the irregularities, while recorded in the section minutes, fall within the normal course of electoral operations, often influenced by material or calculation errors.
Italian Version
