Regional elections to be held in Campania, Puglia and Veneto in what will be a closely watched vote in Italy.
Three Italian regions will hold elections on 23-24 November in a key test for Italy’s ruling right-wing coalition government which recently marked three years in power.
The countdown is on for the regional elections which start this weekend in the southern regions of Campania and Puglia as well as Veneto in the north.
Two of these regions – Campania and Puglia – are currently controlled by the centre-left, while Veneto is governed by the right-wing Lega party of deputy premier Matteo Salvini.
Although analysts and polls suggest that the political landscape in all three regions is likely to remain the same following the upcoming elections, prime minister Giorgia Meloni insisted on Friday that “predictions can be proved wrong”.
Campania
Meloni was speaking at a rally in Naples where she was joined by Salvini and fellow deputy premier Antonio Tajani, leader of the centre-right Forza Italia party, in a show of support for the centrodestra candidate in the Campania race, Edmondo Cirielli.
A senior member of Meloni’s right-wing Fratelli d’Italia party, Cirelli is facing Robero Fico of the left-wing, populist Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) who is also backed by the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD).
Polls suggest that Fico will be voted in to succeed the outgoing PD governor of Campania, Vincenzo De Luca, who has served two terms over the past decade and is not permitted to seek a third mandate.
With Meloni’s coalition currently governing 14 out of 20 Italian regions, the government is particularly keen to wrest control of Campania from the left.
Puglia
Another centre-left stronghold, the southern region of Puglia has been governed by the centrosinstra for 20 consecutive years, and is preparing for the likely election of MEP Antonio Decaro (PD), a former mayor of Bari.
Decaro’s main challenger is entrepreneur Luigi Lobuono who has the support of the parties in the right-wing coalition government.
Veneto
Long a bastion of the Lega, the northern Veneto region has been governed for the past 15 years by one of the party’s senior figures, Luca Zaia, who is no longer eligible to run.
The Lega candidate Alberto Stefani, backed by the governing parties in Rome, is widely tipped to win.
His main challenger is Giovanni Manildo (PD) who has the support of the centre-left opposition parties.
When do the elections take place?
The regional elections in Campania, Puglia and Veneto are scheduled on Sunday 23 November from 07.00 to 23.00 and on Monday 24 November from 07.00 to 15.00.
Photo: Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni takes a selfie with her coalition partners and the Fratelli d’Italia candidate in Campania, Edmondo Cirielli.
