ROME — Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-leaning coalition held onto Venice in Monday’s mayoral vote, according to projections, maintaining control of one of the most high-profile cities contested during a nationwide round of local elections.
More than 600 municipalities across Italy went to the polls in the first major electoral test for the government since a decisive loss in a March justice referendum, Meloni’s largest political setback since taking office in 2022. Venice, where recent controversy over Russia’s presence at the Biennale Art Festival had stirred debate, had been governed by the right for the past decade, though polls earlier this month indicated a possible centre-left advantage.
Projections showed centre-right candidate Simone Venturini winning roughly 51% of the vote, with his nearest rival on about 39%, avoiding a runoff that would have been required if no candidate had cleared the 50% threshold. Polling firm Youtrend declared the race for Venturini, saying his margin made the result clear.
“Opposition forces went into Venice confident they could sell the narrative that Meloni was finished and the centre-right was collapsing. Then voters went to the polls and reality set in,” said Giovanni Donzelli, a senior lawmaker from Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party.
These municipal elections were among the final local tests before national elections expected next year, shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027. Elsewhere, centre-left figure Vincenzo De Luca won a fifth term in Salerno after a long tenure as regional governor, independent former mayor Federico Basile retained office in Messina, and the centre-right largely prevailed in Reggio Calabria, ending a left-leaning run that began in 2014.