Acquaroli is re-elected as Marche governor.
Italy’s right-wing coalition government on Monday celebrated the re-election of its candidate Francesco Acquaroli as governor of the central Marche region.
Acquaroli, a member of prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Fratelli d’Italia party, received more than 52 per cent of the vote, eight points ahead of his challenger Matteo Ricci of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) party.
Meloni hailed the election result on X, writing: “The voters have rewarded a person who in recent years has worked tirelessly for his region and its citizens”.
The re-election of Acquaroli was also welcomed by deputy premiers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani, leaders respectively of the right-wing Lega and centre-right Forza Italia in Meloni’s ruling coalition.
Francesco Acquaroli vince le elezioni regionali nelle Marche confermandosi Presidente. Gli elettori hanno premiato una persona che in questi anni ha lavorato senza sosta per la sua regione e i suoi cittadini. Sono certa che continuerà nel suo impegno con la stessa passione e… pic.twitter.com/WA3Eaadz6e
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) September 29, 2025
Acquaroli, 51, has long been considered close to Meloni who was a regular visitor to the Marche region during his election campaign.
Ricci, a former mayor of Pesaro and a member of the European Parliament, congratulated Acquaroli on his win, telling reporters: “The people of Marche have chosen continuity.”
In addition to the PD, Ricci had been supported by the Movimento 5 Stelle, Italia Viva, and the Alliance of the Greens and the Left (AVS).
His defeat is a significant blow for the centre-left opposition, which had focused heavily on presenting itself as a united coalition in the Marche elections after years of divisions.
Voter turnout was 50 per cent and there were also four other minor candidates, all of whom received between 0.5 and 1 per cent.
Meloni’s coalition governs 14 out of 20 Italian regions and has won several regional elections since coming to power almost three years ago, as well as losing to the centre-left in Sardinia, Umbria and Emilia-Romagna last year.
The coming months will see further regional elections in Veneto and Calabria, regions governed by coalition parties in Meloni’s government, and in the left-controlled regions of Campania, Puglia and Tuscany.
