The appointment to the vote

The Campo Largo bets on Venice and challenges the centre-right

After 11 years, the Dems are aiming to take back the lagoon by betting on the former Undersecretary for Publishing, while the current Prime Minister is not backing down one step

by Letizia Giostra

23 May 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The countdown to the administrative elections on 24 and 25 May begins. Voting is scheduled in 743 municipalities. These include 18 provincial capitals.

There is also Venice. Here the centre-left aims to conquer the lagoon capital after the end of Luigi Brugnaro's mayoral cycle (for 11 years at the helm of the city). PD secretary Elly Schlein has chosen to close her election campaign in the Venetian capital to support the Dem candidate.

The candidates lined up

The centre-left phas opted for the Pd senator and regional secretary Andrea Martella. The centre-right plays the card of the outgoing councillorSimone Venturini. Ithe centre-left candidate supportedby various political forces: from Rifondazione to Italia viva and Radicals, passing through Avs and M5s. The coalition with the name 'The Good Season' clashes with Brugnaro's 'dauphin', Venturini supported by the centre-right and Action.

The Bigs in Venice

Although the polls give Martella the advantage, nothing is certain in a still open game and the hypothesis of a possible runoff is emerging. This is also why all the coalition bigwigs have passed through Venice: not only Schlein, but also Angelo Bonelli, Matteo Renzi, Giuseppe Conte and Nicola Fratoianni. Venturini, on the other hand, was able to count on a visit from League leader Matteo Salvini and a video message from Giorgia Meloni.

Administration of controversies

The election campaign in these parts will also be remembered for the numerous controversies faced at rallies.

Two in the cultural sphere: the appointment of Beatrice Venezi as music director of La Fenice, with orchestral and subscriber revolt until the superintendent Nicola Colabianchi stopped the collaboration. The second controversy flared up over the return of the Russian pavilion to the Biennale with the tug-of-war between president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli. Both mayoral aspirants promised to give the appointment to a councillor unlike Brugnaro, who had kept the delegation for himself.

Another knot is tourism, with the clash over the access ticket: Venturini has already said he will confirm it, while the centre-left wants to abolish it. There is also a clash on security and integration. For the centre-left, the opponents have failed, while Venturini's coalition points the finger at the presence of six Bengalis in the Dem lists, with the League writing 'No mosque' on the buses.

Independent candidates

In the clash between the centre-left and centre-right, the six independent candidates seeking council seats are also seeking space: Giovanni Andrea Martini (Tutta la città insieme), economist Michele Boldrin (Ora!), former president of the San Marco merchants Claudio Vernier (Città vive), Pierangelo Del Zotto (Prima il Veneto), Roberto Agirmo (Resistere Veneto) and Vannacciano Luigi Corò (Futuro per Venezia Mestre).