Italy’s resurgent centre-right, powered by Forza Italia, won a clear victory in Sunday’s regional election in Sicily. Nello Musumeci, the candidate of a diverse alliance of right-wing and centrist forces, finished five percentage points clear of his Five Star rival Giancarlo Cancelleri in the race for the regional Presidency, winning nearly 40 per cent of the votes cast. Musumeci’s coalition will also hold a narrow majority in the new regional assembly, with 36 of 70 seats.
Five Star leaders had campaigned heavily on the island in the hope of their first ever regional victory and the result will be a disappointment. It is also a foretaste of how the newly-approval national electoral law will play against them by favouring multi-party coalitions – the populists lack any partners. Nonetheless Cancelleri himself advanced his own score from 18.2 to 35.7 per cent, and his party went from 14.9 to 26.7 per cent in the assembly election. Five Star moved from 15 to 20 seats in an assembly reduced from 90 to 70 deputies. Adding to an impressive list of achievements, it also topped the ballot in 5 of the 9 provinces.
The centre-right’s recovery of an historic stronghold was made possible by a collapse in the centre-left vote. Outgoing Partito Democratico (PD) President Rosario Crocetta did not re-stand, and his successor as centre-left candidate, Fabrizio Micari, picked up just 18.7 per cent, down from 30.5 per cent in 2012. The centre-left has seen heavy seat losses, reduced to just 13 – although it should be noted that part of the bloc’s loss is due to the switch of the centrist UDC to the right-wing camp, and part is due to the reduction in the assembly’s size.
Support for the leftist bloc was practically unchanged at 6.1 per cent for the Presidency and 5.2 per cent for the assembly. Independents made no impact.
Sicily’s election will now be analysed keenly by all Italian parties as they prepare for national parliamentary elections, which must be held before the end of May 2018.
SICILY 5 November 2017
Regional Presidency
Votes, per cent and absolute
Nello Musumeci (Centre right – Centrodestra) 39.85% or 830,821
Giancarlo Cancelleri (5 Star – Movimento 5 Stelle) 34.65% or 722,555
Fabrizio Micari (Centre left – Centrosinistra) 18.65% or 388,886
Claudio Fava (Left – Sinistra) 6.15% or 128,157
Roberto La Rosa (Independent – Indipendentisti) 0.70% or 14,656
Votes by party for Regional Assembly
Change on October 2012 in brackets
Centre right 42.04% (25.73) or 809,121
Forza Italia 16.37% or 315,056
Idea Sicilia – Popolari e Autonomisti 7.09% or 136,520
Sicilia Vera – Libertas –Rete Democratica – Unione di Centro 6.97% or 134,124
Diventera’Bellissima – Per la Sicilia 5.96% or 114,708
Alleanza per la Sicilia (Fratelli d’Italia + Noi con Salvini) 5.65% or 108,713
Movimento 5 Stelle 26.67% (18.17) or 513,359
Centre left 25.40% (30.47) or 488,939
Partito Democratico 13.02% or 250,633
PDR – Sicilia Futura – PSI 6.01% or 115,751
Alternativa Popolare 4.18% or 80,366
Arcipeloago Sicilia – Movimento dei Territori 2.19% or 42,189
Left 5.23% (6.10) or 100,583
Cento passi per la Sicilia
Independent 0.66% (n/a) or 12,600
Movimento Siciliani Liberi
Seat allocation in Regional Assembly
Centre right 36 (36)
Forza Italia 12
Popolari e Autonomisti 5
UDC 5
Diventera’ Bellissima 4
FDI + Salvini 3
Others 7
Movimento 5 Stelle 20 (15)
Centre left 13 (39)
PD 11
Sicilia Futura 2
Left 1 (0)
Total 70 seats (previously 90 seats)
Eligible voters: 4,661,111
Valid votes for Presidency 2,085,075
Turnout 46.76% (2012: 47.41%)
Source: Servizio Elettorale, Regione Siciliana. Full official results here. Further graphics and tables on the La Repubblica website here.