Forza Italia has begun its public preparation for the next municipal elections in Benevento, with city secretary Francesco Maria Rubano reporting growing interest in candidacies and outlining how the party intends to select its candidates.
Rubano says the party is receiving numerous proposals from people active in local politics, civil society, the professions and the wider community. He presents this attention as a sign of momentum around Forza Italia in the city as list formation gets under way.
Selection based on credibility, not last-minute additions
The central message of Rubano's remarks concerns method. He says Forza Italia's lists will not be open to everyone at the last minute, rejecting what he describes as last-minute passengers.
Instead, he presents the intended selection criteria as credibility, consistency and quality rather than electoral convenience. The emphasis, in his formulation, is on building strong and credible lists rather than simply filling places.
A possible civic list under evaluation
Rubano also says Forza Italia is evaluating a civic list that could involve experiences and sensitivities from civil society. The proposal was brought to the attention of regional secretary Fulvio Martusciello.
That civic list remains a hypothesis under evaluation, not a formally approved electoral list. No names for either the party lists or the possible civic list have been confirmed in the reporting acquired for this article.
Rubano's organisational role
Rubano was appointed Forza Italia's city secretary in Benevento, with broad responsibilities for the local electoral operation. His role includes contributing to the choice of the mayoral candidate, coordinating with allies and helping construct the programme.
That organisational mandate explains why his comments focus on process and selection rather than on announcements: candidate choice and programme-building are still in progress.
The wider electoral context
Benevento is part of the Campania administrative-election context described in the 2026 election special coverage, which lists municipalities in the province of Benevento among those involved in the administrative cycle and follows the campaign and list-formation phase.
For readers, this context matters because list formation is the current phase: parties are gathering proposals and defining alliances and programmes before formal candidacies are presented.
What to watch next
Two questions remain open and will determine the next stage of the Benevento race.
First, whether the proposed civic list moves from an idea under evaluation to a formally approved list, and which civil-society representatives it might involve.
Second, whom Forza Italia and its allies will support for mayor, and on what programme. The acquired sources identify no confirmed mayoral candidate, no finalized list of candidates, and no definitive coalition or programme yet.
Until those decisions are made, Rubano's intervention marks the start of the campaign organisation rather than its conclusion: interest is being collected, criteria have been stated publicly, and the choices on names, alliances and programme are still to come.
