Local election results: Cirio reconfirmed in Piedmont, runoffs in Florence and Bari

Cagliari and Bergamo to the centre-left already in the first round. So did Pescara, for which this round was sufficient to re-elect the outgoing centre-right mayor. Instead, Bari and Firenze are going to the runoff, with the centre-left having a strong advantage. It is back to the polls for the run-off also in Caltanissetta, Campobasso (they were led by an M5S-led administration, now the centre-right is ahead) and Potenza. A challenge to the last vote in Perugia, with the centre-left almost at 50% and a lead of only 2 points. This is the outcome of the vote that saw the renewal of almost .3700 municipal administrations, of the regional council in Piedmont - with the confirmation of the outgoing governor Alberto Cirio - and the European elections. In addition to the vice-premier and Forza Italia leader Antonio Tajani, congratulating Cirio's performance - he prevailed with 56.23% over the centre-left challenger Gianna Pentenero - was also the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.

And so, Cagliari returns to the centre-left and with it also Pavia, which was led by the League. In the Sardinian capital, the outgoing mayor Paolo Truzzu was ousted by Massimo Zedda, supported by the broad field and already Cagliari's first citizen, undoubtedly driven by the election, last March, of Alessandra Todde (M5S), the first woman president of Sardinia. Massimo Zedda's rival, also a Zedda but Alessandra, aimed to keep the city to the right but failed. In Bergamo, after 10 years of Giorgio Gori's administration, the city remained in the hands of the centre-left and the mayor is Elena Carnevali, 59, a former PD deputy. Head-to-head instead in Perugia governed since 2019 by the centre-right with Andrea Romizi (FI). Vittoria Ferdinandi, a 37-year-old psychologist, supported by a very broad coalition ranging from the PD to Action, came close to winning the city that had always been governed by the left since the post-war period and until 10 years ago. In 15 days she will have to face her rival Margherita Scoccia (FdI).

The most eagerly awaited challenges were obviously those of Florence and Bari. In the Tuscan capital, Sara Funaro, 48, the centre-left candidate and outgoing councillor, had more votes than the German art historian and former director of the Uffizi, Eike Schmidt, who did not break through as expected, but the game to elect Dario Nardella's successor will be played in a fortnight' time. A good slice of consensus was taken away from Funaro by the candidate of IV, Stefania Saccardi, who came third but who will now, in all likelihood, channel her votes to Funaro. Also in Bari, the centre-left candidate, Vito Leccese, 61, supported by the centre-left, is well ahead of Fabio Romito, 36, of the centre-right. If the Pentastellati had not decided not to take part in the primaries already called and to run alone, the centre-left's victory would have been certain in the first round.

As for the other cities, Massimo Mezzetti (centre-left) was elected mayor of Modena, Marco Massari (centre-left) was first citizen of Reggio Emilia; in Cesena Enzo Lattuca was re-elected. These were all municipalities already led by the centre-left. In Ferrara, the outgoing mayor, Alan Fabbri, supported by the centre-right, was re-elected, defeating the lawyer Fabio Anselmo, attorney in the Cucchi case. In Forlì the outgoing Gian Luca Zattini (centre-right) tends (very narrowly) to be reconfirmed, tailed by challenger Graziano Rinaldini (centre-left). Andrea Biancani (centre-left) was reconfirmed in Pesaro. In Pontida, the party's symbolic place, the outgoing mayoral candidate of the League, Pierguido Vanalli, was defeated by challenger Davide Cantù, a young candidate of the civic list Viviamo Insieme Pontida. FdI, on the other hand, was the first party with 33.77% in Stazzema, in whose territory falls the hamlet of Sant'Anna, theatre of the Nazi-fascist massacre of 12 August 1944, and has excellent results in the province of Grosseto: in Capalbio it exceeds 40%. Predappio, Mussolini's birthplace, remains in the centre-right. Amongst the curiosities: in the vote for the European elections, FI placed only third in Arcore; the Pd triumphed instead in Bibbiano, a municipality in the Reggio Emilia area that ended up at the centre of the political debate after the arrest of mayor Andrea Carletti. Despite this, the municipality confirmed its centre-left leadership and took almost three times as many votes as its challengers. In Tuscany, centre-left strongholds such as Livorno and Prato held their ground. In Cremona they go to the ballot. Finally, Ascoli confirms the outgoing centre-right mayor.