Basilicata elections: Fi detaches Lega, M5s collapse. Decisive for Bardi Azione and the list close to Renzi: together over 14%.

With the counting concluded (with Forza Italia's candidate Vito Bardi confirmed governor of Basilicata with 56.6% of the votes, against Piero Marrese, candidate of the Pd-M5s broad camp, who obtained 42.2%), there are various novelties emerging in the Lucanian political landscape. The M5s, the first party in the region for six years, is coming out in tatters, garnering only 7.7%, the lowest percentage in its electoral history in Basilicata. In the lead among the parties is Fratelli d'Italia with 17.4%, but considering that the Melonians had exceeded 18% in the last political elections, one cannot speak of an exploit. Forza Italia, which had already overtaken the Lega by a whisker in 2022, now trails it by over 5 points. And it has soared to 13% to become the third party in the region, just a glue behind the Pd (13.9%), which has lost more than a point compared to the political elections (15.2%).

The Carroccio brakes its fall but comes out further downsized. The 19.15 per cent of the 2019 regional elections is a long way off, but even compared to 2022 (9 per cent) Salvini's party loses more than a point in this round, in which it stands at 7.8 per cent.

Also decisive for Bardi's victory was the contribution of Azione (led in the region by the former Pd president of the Marcello Pittella), with 7.5%, and the Orgoglio lucano list, close to Matteo Renzi, with 7%. For the centre-left, the exploit (11.2%) of the civic Basilicata Casa Comune of the Catholic businessman Angelo Chiorazzo was not enough to compensate for the collapse of the 5 stars.

The vote at the Regionals for the party led by Giuseppe Conte sounds like a rude awakening after an 'electoral domination' that lasted since the 2018 Politics. At that time the M5s took 44.36%. The following year at the Regionals it took 20.27% and at the European elections it came close to 30%. Only two years ago at the European elections, it was confirmed at 25%. Now, the Movement comes out in pieces. The 7.7 per cent in these regionals represents the lowest percentage in its electoral history in Basilicata (up to now 8.97 per cent in the 2013 regionals). It is no coincidence that this debacle occurred in an electoral round characterised by an alliance with the Pd. This confirms the fact that the Movement, usually less competitive in administrative elections, does better when it runs alone. Many Grillini voters probably stayed at home, going to swell the record abstentionism (only 49.8% of those eligible voted).

In the centre-right, even if Fdi is confirmed as the first party of the coalition and becomes the first party in the region due to the M5s collapse, it is in Forza Italia's house that they can be most satisfied. In the last rounds of elections (political 2022, European and regional 2019) they had always been just over 9% (although in the regional 2019 elections, the 4% of the civic list Basilicata positiva Bardi presidente should be added). The 13% in these regional elections represents a real exploit: the best result in the party's electoral history in Basilicata (after the end of the Popolo delle libertà), above the 12.4% of the 2018 political elections.