The vote

By-elections in Calabria: turnout remains very low – only 10.26 per cent had voted by 7.00 pm

Polling stations have opened in the Reggio Calabria-Locri constituency, where nearly 346,000 voters are eligible to cast their ballots. Futuro Nazionale is fielding Domenico Giannetta against the centre-right candidate Fabio Roscioli, whilst the centre-left is backing Frank Benedetto

by Rome Editorial Staff

27 September 2026

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ROBERTO VANNACCI, FUTURO NAZIONALE IMAGOECONOMICA

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Almost 346,000 voters are being called to the polls

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Voter turnout at 7.00 pm stood at 10.26 per cent in the by-election for the Chamber of Deputies in constituency 5, Reggio Calabria-Locri. In the previous election, however, when voting took place over a single day, the figure at the same time was 35.48 per cent.

At 12.00, voter turnout stood at 3.43 per cent; four years ago, at the same time, it had been 11.87 per cent, but on that occasion voting took place only on Sunday and there were three turnout figures, compared with the four for this two-day voting period.

Polling stations have been open since 7 am in Calabria to elect the new MP for the Reggio Calabria-Locri constituency. But the political stakes of the by-election go beyond a single seat in the Chamber of Deputies. The vote on Sunday 27 and Monday 28 September marks, in fact, the first electoral test for Roberto Vannacci and Futuro Nazionale, who have decided to challenge Forza Italia in one of the very areas where the ‘blue’ party has built up a particularly strong presence over the years.

The contest has thus turned into an internal battle within the right, with two candidates from the same political camp. On one side is Fabio Roscioli, chosen by Forza Italia. On the other is Domenico Giannetta, who has moved from the ‘Azzurri’ to the party founded by Vannacci. In the background, there is also an attempt by the centre-left to capitalise on this division, with the candidacy of the cardiologist Frank Benedetto.

In the final hours of the campaign, however, a new development has emerged alongside the political battle. At the centre of it is a photograph of Under-Secretary Matilde Siracusano, posted by Vannacci on Facebook. Siracusano claims that the image, in which she appears wearing a low-cut top, was taken from her personal Instagram profile and subsequently altered. She has announced that she will take legal action.

Almost 346,000 voters called to the polls

The consultation covers 71 municipalities in the province of Reggio Calabria. The constituency encompasses a large part of the Ionian coast, as well as Reggio Calabria, Locri, Siderno and Melito Porto Salvo, and extends along the Tyrrhenian coast as far as Villa San Giovanni and Scilla.

There are a total of 345,788 voters, of whom 58,729 live abroad. Polling will continue on Sunday until 11.00 pm. Polling stations will then reopen on Monday from 7.00 am to 3.00 pm.

The seat in the Chamber of Deputies remained vacant following the election as mayor of Francesco Cannizzaro, a member of Forza Italia. And it is precisely the succession to Cannizzaro that has turned a local election into an event that has attracted attention even outside Calabria.

Vannacci’s test begins in Calabria

For Vannacci, this is the first opportunity to gauge the electoral strength of Futuro Nazionale at the ballot box. The choice fell on Domenico Giannetta, a doctor and former group leader of Forza Italia on the Regional Council, who has previously received over 10,000 votes.

A candidacy, therefore, built around a figure who is already well-established in the local area and comes directly from the party – Futuro Nazionale – which he intends to challenge on its own turf.

Forza Italia has put forward Fabio Roscioli, the party’s treasurer, a lawyer who worked for Fininvest for many years and is close to the Berlusconi family. He is the candidate on whom the ‘Azzurri’ are pinning their hopes to retain the constituency.

The Calabrian vote thus also serves as an initial gauge of the balance of power between Vannacci’s new party and one of the long-standing components of the centre-right. This contest could foreshadow dynamics set to re-emerge in the forthcoming general election, should no agreements be reached between the various political forces.

In the contest between Forza Italia and Futuro Nazionale, Frank Benedetto is seeking to make his mark. A cardiologist, former city councillor and group leader of the Democratic Party, Benedetto is returning to active politics after twenty years.

This is backed by a coalition comprising 12 political groups, including Italia Viva and the Five Star Movement. The candidate’s strategy also hinges on the contrast between the unity of the coalition backing him and the divisions that have emerged within the right-wing camp.

Vannacci’s clash with Forza Italia: the Siracusano case

Vannacci has focused the final stage of his campaign on a direct attack on the Calabrian leadership of the ‘Azzurri’. On social media, he also posted a doctored image showing Roscioli, Matilde Siracusano and Senator Claudio Lotito sitting in front of a cake bearing the word ‘Calabria’.

The political message of Futuro nazionale aims to portray Roscioli as a choice imposed from outside and to contrast him with Giannetta’s deep local roots. Vannacci has also set his sights on the President of the Region, Roberto Occhiuto, and Cannizzaro.

Then there is the new controversy surrounding Siracusano’s photograph. The Under-Secretary, who is Occhiuto’s partner, has contested the manipulation of one of her personal photographs, which was circulated by the leader of Futuro Nazionale, and has announced that she will be taking legal action.

It is against this backdrop that the polls open. A by-election to fill a single seat in the Chamber of Deputies thus becomes Vannacci’s first electoral test and, above all, a test of the new balance of power within the right.