A cold shower for Giorgia Meloni’s far right, while the Italian Prime Minister seemed to be on a roll since the Europeans. His movement lost control of the region of Umbria, whose outgoing president, supported by right-wing and far-right parties, was beaten by her center-left rival. In the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, the center-left coalition candidate scored even better than expected against his right-wing and far-right coalition opponent. These two electoral victories give some oxygen to the opposition parties to the far-right government of Giorgia Meloni.
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In Italy, the President of the Council, Giorgia Melonisuffered an electoral setback on Monday during two regional polls organized in Italy, with the loss by his conservative camp of Umbria and a heavier defeat than expected in Emilia-Romagna. The outgoing president of the Umbria region, supported by right-wing and far-right parties, obtained only 45.6%, and will have to give up her seat to her center-left rival, having obtained 51.6 %. In Emilia-Romagna, the defeat of the pro-Giorgia Meloni coalition was predictable, but the score of the center-left exceeded expectations: 56.7% of the votes against 40.1% for its opponent from the right-wing coalition. extreme right.
In Emilia-Romagnain the north of the country, Michele De Pascale, 39 years old, mayor of Ravenna, largely defeated her right-wing opponent Elena Ugolini. The agreement between the Democratic Party, the 5 Star Movement and centrist and left-wing groups worked perfectly in this region of more than four million inhabitants: one of the richest in Europe and one of the red bastions for 54 years, reports our correspondent in Rome, Anne Le Nir.
The left has in fact governed Emilia-Romagna since the end of the Second World War. His continued leadership of this prosperous region of northern Italy was anticipated by polling institutes during these elections organized on Sunday and Monday.
In Umbria, populated by less than 900,000 inhabitants, the same success, but more surprising, for the center-left alliance which made it possible to beat the outgoing president, from the anti-migrant League party, Donatella Tesei. The lucky winner is Stefania Proetti, 49, mechanical engineer and mayor of Assisi.
A “ unity victory » which breathes new life into the left
For Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein, this double “ unity victory » gives hope that the united center-left could be an alternative to the right and the far right. Visiting Brazil for a G20 summit, Giorgia Meloni quickly recognized the defeat of her family and said she wanted to establish a constructive relationship with Michele De Pascale and Stefania Proietti.
But with the solid lead of his party Fratelli d’Italia in national polls, the Prime Minister believes that the results of these regional elections will have no impact on the future of her government.
Since her triumph in the 2022 legislative elections at the head of her Fratelli d’Italia party, the President of the Council has in fact seen her conservative camp win nine regional elections compared to just one for the left. This until Monday.
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