As early as 2018, a photo posted on social media with Kalashnikov on his lap made him a controversial character when he was elected to one of the city’s neighborhood councils, despite the Brescia Mayor Emilio Del Bono asking him to step back. Now, five years later, the 48-year-old, whose name has been changed to “Candidate with Kalashnikov,” aims to enter the Brescia city council. His name was actually included in the ‘Morelli x Castelletti – Brescia 2030’ civic list to support Brescia deputy mayor and centre-left coalition candidate Laura Castelletti.
As in 2018, his new nomination brought to light the frame of Talat Chaudhry with his hometown traditional attire and a war weapon in his lap. He seemed destined to be ostracized in the elections five years ago, especially because of that photo taken during his brother’s wedding in Pakistan. Instead, Chaudhry was elected, despite clamor and mayor Emilio Del Bono’s invitation to step aside. The “Kalashnikov candidate” immediately sought to extinguish the controversy over this photo, emphasizing that it did not represent the context in which the photo was taken and the hymn of war, violence or terrorism.
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
