A new political initiative in Benevento aimed at building an alternative to the administration of Mayor Clemente Mastella has drawn a negative political judgment from Azione Benevento.

According to reporting by NTR24, Azione Benevento described the initiative promoted by Umberto Del Basso De Caro and Pasquale Viespoli as a “negative signal for the city,” while stating that it respected their personal histories.

The October 31 meeting at the Museo del Sannio

The initiative was launched at a public meeting held on October 31, 2026, in the Sala Vergineo of the Museo del Sannio in Benevento.

Reporting on the meeting describes it as the start of a cross-party path intended to build an alternative to the current municipal administration led by Clemente Mastella. Participants were reported as coming from different political backgrounds, united by the declared goal of developing a shared administrative project for the city.

No candidate for mayor and no defined coalition were announced. According to the coverage, Del Basso De Caro and Viespoli spoke instead of months of listening, discussion and public participation ahead of further decisions.

Azione’s criticism: leadership renewal

In Azione Benevento’s assessment, one of the main problems in local Sannio politics is the failure to support the growth of a young leadership prepared for current challenges.

That criticism was directed at the initiative itself. Azione Benevento presented its negative evaluation as a political judgment, not as a personal attack, distinguishing its respect for the personal histories involved from its view of the political proposal.

The characterization of the initiative and the judgment about leadership renewal should be understood as Azione Benevento’s stated position, as reported by NTR24, rather than an independently established finding.

The issues on the table

The themes raised around the meeting include the socio-economic decline of the area, youth emigration, infrastructure, and the need for a shared governing programme for Benevento.

Those issues provide the stated policy context for the initiative: supporters frame the listening phase as a way to define priorities before selecting candidates or formal alliances.

What remains undecided

The political path remains open. Based on the reporting available:

  • No candidate for mayor has been named.
  • No formal coalition of parties or civic movements has been defined.
  • It is not yet clear which parties, civic lists or other groups will join the process.
  • No complete official transcript or recording of the meeting was available in the sources reviewed.

Accusations and assessments concerning the city administration and local political dynamics reported in the coverage are political positions, not independently verified facts.

For readers following Benevento politics, the next relevant steps will be whether the organizers set a timetable for the listening phase, which political and civic actors formally join, and when a candidate and coalition are presented.