Rome city council member Virginia Raggi, a 37-year-old lawyer from the opposition Movimento 5 Stelle, or Five Star Movement, had 67 percent of the vote with nearly 80 percent of the vote counted early Monday, the Interior Ministry said.
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“It’s a very special day for us, we finally have the chance to have somebody new who can change things”, said a 72-year-old pensioner shortly after casting his ballot for the Five Star movement at a primary school in the Trastevere district of Rome. The previous mayor, Democrat Ignazio Marino resigned in October over an expenses scandal. Rome in particular is seen by some analysts as a springboard for general elections due in 2018.
Naples, Turin and Bologna also have run-offs.
His big consolation came in Milan, where he had heavily backed Giuseppe Sala, who was leading his center-right challenger, Stefano Parisi, early this morning. “We will work to restore legality and transparency to our institutions after 20 years of bad governance”, she declared in her victory speech.
The defeat of Raggi’s opponent in Rome, Democrat Roberto Giachetti, was widely expected, given deep anger over years of City Hall corruption.
If official data confirm a defeat in both Rome and Turin, that would strengthen the hand of those within Mr. Renzi’s party who oppose his economic reform agenda, thus “limiting the premier’s room for maneuver”, said Wolfango Piccoli, co- president of research firm Teneo Intelligence.
The Democratic Party has been weakened by defections and the Rome scandals, which tainted local Democrats as well as conservative politicians.
According to her website, mountain hikes, swimming and skiing are among the favourite pastimes of the Dire Straits fan who won plaudits during the campaign for her effortless elegance in the style-conscious Eternal City.
“A new era is beginning with us”.
Mr Renzi insisted he would not resign regardless of the local election results, but he could face further embarrassment over Ms Raggi’s opposition to Rome’s bid to host the 2024 Olympics. The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement looked set to easily win the election for the mayor of Rome yesterday and clinch a surprise victory in Turin, in a major setback for Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Evidence of corruption has boosted the popularity of the Five Star Movement, which is led by comedian Beppe Grillo.
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Some 8.6 million people, around a fifth of the total electorate, were eligible to vote yesterday for mayors of 126 towns and cities where no candidate won more than 50 per cent of the vote in a first round of voting.
