Ballots, centre-left wins in Florence, Bari and Perugia

The centre-left won the largest cities among those involved in this round of ballots for local elections. The main affirmations in Florence, Bari, Perugia, Potenza and Campobasso: all the regional capitals on the ballot go to the centre-left. However, the turnout stopped at 47.71%, down from the first round, when 62.83% of those eligible had voted.

In Florence, Sara Funaro, the first female mayor of the Tuscan capital, succeeded Dario Nardella, beating the centre-right candidate, former Uffizi director Eike Schmidt, with 60.5%, who stopped at 39.44%.

Vito Leccese's victory in Bari was even clearer, with 70.3% against the 29.7% of his centre-right opponent, Fabio Romito.. "I got a call from Elly Schlein who came here three times, I felt her close and confident even when she was frightened by the division of the coalition. Today we can celebrate the victory of the united centre-left'. Leccese, the new mayor of Bari, arrived at his election committee and announced that 'in the next few days we will pick up the threads of the weaving of the government team with the rediscovered coalition. After that,' he added, 'I think I will also have to return to the places where I campaigned. I would particularly like to be the mayor of all those who did not take part in the vote because they no longer believe in the power of politics over their future, I would like to restore their trust in the institutions, in the one that Antonio Decaro has transformed into the citizens' institution. I will try to continue in the wake of this experience'.

First time for female mayors also in Perugia, with Vittoria Ferdinandi beating centre-right candidate Margherita Scoccia (47.9%) with 52.1%, and in Campobasso, where Marialuisa Forte won for the centre-left with 51% against Aldo De Benedittis' 49%. Here the gap is only 400 votes, but still allows the centre-left to make the en plein of the regional capitals, with the victory in Potenza of Vincenzo Telesca (64.9%) over Francesco Fanelli (35.1%), and the secretary of the PD, Elly Schlein, to rejoice. 'An historic victory for the Democratic Party and the progressive camp. We won in all six regional capitals, snatching three of them from the right and with three new mayors, from Florence to Bari, from Campobasso to Perugia, from Potenza to Cagliari. The cities have rejected the governing right wing and sent a clear message to Giorgia Meloni: no more cuts to healthcare, no more low wages, and no more differentiated autonomy'.

The entire centre-left is pointing out that this was, according to the opposition, a vote to say no also to the premierate and to differentiated autonomy, and in general to the action of the Meloni government. At least in the cities, because it is precisely in the cities that the centre-left wins positions and feels strongest, as the Commissioner for the Economy, the Dem Paolo Gentiloni, points out from Brussels: "Florence, Bari, Perugia, Potenza, Campobasso. The air in the cities makes you free,' the former premier writes on social media. Satisfaction also from the 5 Star Movement: "The citizens reward the projects of agreement between the opposition forces, the result not of palace alchemy but of a convergence that is being consolidated in the parliamentary halls as much as in the squares". Among the other cities on the ballot, the centre-left also won in Cremona, with Leonardo Virgilio, and in Vibo Valentia, with Vincenzo Romeo..