With all eyes on Italy’s parliamentary election last weekend, voting held on the same day for assemblies in two of the country’s most significant regions, Lazio and Lombardia, were somewhat overlooked. In both, regional Presidencies were retained by the incumbent parties – easily in the case of the Centre Right alliance in Lombardia, and narrowly for the Centre Left/Left in Lazio.
In Lazio, the region taking in the capital Rome and its surrounding countryside, Nicola Zingaretti of the Partito Democratico (PD) just hung to his position, unlike his colleagues in the outgoing national government. He was helped over the line by something not mirrored at national level – keeping the leftist Liberi E Uguali list within his coalition. Their vote share was greater than Zingaretti’s 1.8 per cent margin over Centre Right challenger Stefano Parisi. Nonetheless Zingaretti lost 8 percentage points compared to the previous election in 2013. Meanwhile Roberta Lombardi of the Five Star Movement finished third on 27 per cent, up 7 points on her colleague Davide Ballerini’s showing in 2013, but still arguably handicapped by Five Star’s well-publicised difficulties in attempting to run the city of Rome itself.
The new mixed electoral system led to some perverse outcomes within the regional assembly, with the Centre Left and Left taking 25 seats to the Centre Right’s 15, despite being behind on popular vote share. Still, this was enough for the left to lose its comfortable majority in the 51-seat chamber.
Lombardy sticks with the Lega
Home to Italy’s financial powerhouse of Milan, and Italy’s second richest region, Lombardia remains a stronghold of the right-wing Lega (formerly Lega Nord). Attilio Fontana, improving on the score of outgoing leader Roberto Maroni, came very close to taking an absolute majority of the votes for the region’s Presidency, on 49.75 per cent. The Centre Right majority in the regional assembly will also be unchanged, with 49 out of the 80 seats won – exactly the same number as in 2013.
The Centre Left suffered significant losses in both vote share and in assembly seats. The anti-system Five Star, meanwhile, made gains on both counts, but not enough to lift it above third place.
As in the national election, turnout in both regions was in retreat compared to February 2013, falling to 66.5 per cent in Lazio and 73.1 per cent in Lombardia.
LAZIO 4 March 2018
Regional election – five year term
Regional Presidency
Votes, per cent and absolute
Nicola Zingaretti (Centre Left and Left – Centrosinistra) 32.92% or 1,018,736
Stefano Parisi (Centre right – Centrodestra) 31.17% or 964,418
Roberta Lombardi (5 Star – Movimento 5 Stelle) 26.98% or 834,995
Sergio Pirozzi (Independent) 4.89% or 151,476
Others (5) 4.00% or 124,411
Votes by party for regional assembly
(change on February 2013 in brackets)
Centre Left and Left 34.18% (-6.47%) or 867,393
including
Partito Democratico 21.24% or 539,131
Lista Zingaretti 4.33% or 110,080
Liberi E Uguali 3.48% or 88,416
+Europa 2.06% or 52,451
Centro Solidale 1.92% or 48,872
Italia Europa Insieme 1.12% or 28,443
Centre Right 36.36% (+7.04%) or 922,664
including
Forza Italia 14.62% or 371,155
Lega 9.96% or 252,772
Fratelli d’Italia con Giorgia Meloni 8.68% or 220,460
Noi con l’Italia – UDC 1.62% or 41,234
Energie per l’Italia 1.46% or 37,043
Movimento 5 Stelle 22.06% (-0.16%) or 559,752
Sergio Pirozzi and allies (Independent) 3.83% or 97,385
Others (5) 3.51% or 89,944
Seat allocation in Regional Assembly
(change on 2013 in brackets)
Centre Left and Left 25 (-4)
including
Partito Democratico 18
Lista Zingaretti 3
Liberi E Uguali 1
+Europa 1
Centro Solidale 1
President’s seat 1
Centre Right 15 (+2)
including
Forza Italia 6
Lega 4
Fratelli d’Italia 3
Noi con l’Italia UDC 1
Runner up seat 1
5 Star Movement 10 (+3)
Sergio Pirozzi list 1 (+1)
Others 0 (-2)
Total: 51 seats (previously 51 seats)
Eligible voters: 4,786,096
Total voters: 3,181,235
Valid votes for Presidency 3,094,036
Valid votes for Lists: 2,537,138
Turnout: 66.46% (2013: 71.95%)
LOMBARDIA 4 March 2018
Regional election – five year term
Regional Presidency
Votes, per cent and absolute
Attilio Fontana (Centre right – Centrodestra) 49.75% or 2,793,370
Giorgio Gori (Centre left – Centrosinistra) 29.09% or 1,633,367
Dario Violi (5 Star – Movimento 5 Stelle) 17.36% or 974,984
Onorio Rosati (Left – Liberi E Uguali) 1.93% or 108,407
Others (3) 1.85% or 104,353
Votes by party for regional assembly
(change on February 2013 in brackets)
Centre Right 51.26% (+8.19%) or 2,686,610
including
Lega 29.64% or 1,553,798
Forza Italia 14.32% or 750,746
Fratelli d’Italia con Giorgia Meloni 3.64% or 190,834
Fontana Presidente 1.46% or 76,644
Noi con l’Italia 1.26% or 66,357
Energie per la Lombardia 0.53% or 27,970
Partito Pensionati 0.38% or 20,261
Centre left 26.99% (-10.28%) or 1,414,674
including
Partito Democratico 19.24% or 1,008,602
Gori Presidente 3.02% or 158,691
+Europa 2.07% or 108,755
Lombardia per le Autonomie 1.19% or 62,844
Italia Europa Insieme 0.66% or 35,074
Civica Popolare 0.39% or 20,668
Lombardia Progressista 0.38% or 20,040
Movimento 5 Stelle 17.80% (+3.47%) or 933,346
Left – Liberi E Uguali 2.12% or 111,306
Others (3 lists) 1.80% or 94,923
Seat allocation in Regional Assembly
(change on 2013 in brackets)
Centre right 49 (nc)
including
Lega 28
Forza Italia 14
Fratelli d’Italia 3
Fontana Presidente 1
Noi con l’Italia – UDC 1
Energie per la Lombardia 1
President’s seat 1
Centre left 18 (-4)
including
Partito Democratico 15
Gori Presidente 2
Runner up seat 1
5 Star Movement 13 (+4)
Total: 80 seats (previously 80 seats)
Eligible voters: 7,882,639
Total voters: 5,762,453
Valid votes for Presidency 5,614,481
Valid votes for Lists: 5,240,859
Turnout: 73.10% (2013: 76.73%)
Full official results on the Italian Ministry of the Interior website here.
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