The coalition was also on track to win in Reggio Calabria and was ahead in Arezzo, reinforcing the sense that conservative voters remain largely consolidated despite speculation that the referendum setback had weakened Meloni’s grip on power.
The local elections had been closely watched as the first real political test since the failed March justice referendum, with opposition parties seeking to brandish the vote as evidence that cooperation between the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement and smaller left-wing forces could generate national momentum. Around a tenth of Italian citizens were able to vote across more than 700 municipalities.
Senator Raffaele Speranzon of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party told journalists in a post-election briefing that a victory in the first round in Venice would be “world class,” and suggested that the presence of numerous national center-left party leaders had harmed the opposition campaign.