The coalition of Fratelli d’Italia (far right) and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Matteo Salvini’s Antimigrant League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia (right) won the regional elections on February 12th and 13th. Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini in Rome, October 21, 2022. GREGORIO BORGIA v AP
Italy’s right-wing coalition government has won regional elections held in two key regions on Sunday February 12 and Monday February 13, following near-complete results. The vote was marked by a strong abstention.
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Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia (FDI, far-right) coalition, Matteo Salvini’s anti-migrant League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia (FI, right) won the peninsula’s two most populous regions: Lombardy, the country’s economic lung, and Lazio, region of the capital Rome.
After counting almost all the votes, the right-wing candidate in Lombardy, outgoing governor Attilio Fontana, member of the Lega, is credited with 55% of the votes, while his rival on the left received only 34%.
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In Lazio, the right leads with 53% of the vote for Francesco Rocca, former president of the Italian Red Cross, versus 34% for the left candidate, Alessio D’Amato, the region’s outgoing health official. He admitted his defeat.
“This result strengthens the unity of the right and strengthens the actions of the government,” reacted Giorgia Meloni on Twitter.
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“Victory. Thank you Lombardy, thank you Lazio”, Matteo Salvini had tweeted shortly beforeDeputy Prime Minister of the Meloni government.
Very strong abstention
This vote was marked by a very large number of abstentions, with only 40% participation in the two regions.
One of the issues will be the individual outcome of the parties in the governing coalition, which could impact the balance of power between the FDI, League and FI.
The League and FI are losing momentum as foreign direct investment continues to make headway, according to a poll published by the Youtrend institute on February 2nd. in a national election, his result would rise to 29.4% from 26% in September’s general election. According to the same survey, the league is 8.7% and FI is 7%.
Ms Meloni is also benefiting from the opposition parties’ inability to unite against her. The Democratic Party (PD, left), eager for a new leader, is retreating amid the rise of the Five Star Movement while the center remains stable.
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The Italian regions have considerable autonomy from the central government in many areas, including health, transport and education.