In elections in Sardinia, the leftist camp has won back a region for the first time in years.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has led her party Fratelli d'Italia from electoral victory to electoral victory. Now the Italian right-wing coalition is facing defeat, as can be seen after almost all the votes have been counted: in the elections in Sardinia, the left-wing camp has won back a region for the first time in many years.
In Sardinia, the left-wing opposition is united for the first time in a long time. The social democratic party Partito Democratico and the 5 Star Movement agreed on a joint candidate. And they have now narrowly won elections against a right-wing coalition. With almost all votes counted, Alessandra Todde of the left-wing 5 Star Movement, backed by the Democratic Party (PD), won 45.3 percent of the vote. This put him slightly ahead of a far-right candidate, Paulo Druze, who was selected by Meloni, who received 45.0 percent of the vote.
This has embarrassed Prime Minister Georgia Maloney.
Alessandra Tote was the first member of the 5 Star Movement to rule the Italian region. Pollsters and newspapers declared Today the winner, despite a slim lead and counting not being complete.
“It's a shame for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni,” says SRF Italian correspondent Franco Battel. That's because he chose one of his closest confidants, a failed candidate from the right-wing coalition, as a solo candidate – against the will and opposition of Matteo Salvini, his government partner from Lega. “The failure falls squarely on Meloney.”
For the first time, victory for the Italian left
It was a first for the Italian left, who have not been exactly spoiled for success in recent years. If the two left-wing opposition parties come together and don't tear themselves apart, Maloney can be defeated: that's the message many critics are now reading from the election results.
Whether this is true remains to be seen. Because four more Italian regions will vote soon. And the European Union parliamentary elections will be held in June.
“Today is already clear: Meloni can also be defeated,” says the SRF Italian correspondent. He ignored Lega while choosing his candidate. “Since then there has been a significant crisis in the structure of your right-wing coalition. Maloney messed up the start of the 2024 election year.
“Wannabe pop culture fanatic. Zombie advocate. Entrepreneur. Internet evangelist. Alcohol fanatic. Typical travel buff.”
More Stories
Choosing the Right Quality Management Software for Your Industry
The Taliban want to silence women – now they’re singing in protest
Fraud: false letters from Raiffeisenbank