Italy’s two most populous regions - firmly right-wing after elections

Lombardy and Lazio held two-day regional elections but the voter turnout wasn’t the greatest

Voters in Italy’s most populous regions, Lazio and Lombardy, have given victory to the right-wing coalition of parties in both places. The round of elections thus served as a litmus test of support for the policies of the Giorgia Meloni government – the most right-wing one in power since Mussolini.

"This result consolidates the centre-right and strengthens the work of the government," PM Meloni wrote on Twitter as a first comment on the results.

However, the resounding victory was partially overshadowed by the fact that only 40% of people cast a ballot. This was, in fact, the lowest turnout ever recorded for Lazio and Lombardy, which together account for just over a quarter of the Italian population.

Details and stats

While the right parties already controlled Lombardy, they managed to swing Lazio from the centre-left in the elections which took place over two days (12-13 February). This means that conservatives now run 15 of Italy's 20 regions as well as the central government, giving them a unique opportunity and potential to shape domestic politics to their liking.

The right-wing coalition-backed candidate Francesco Rocca in Lazio region won comfortably, obtaining 53.8 per cent of the vote.

This will see Rocca, a former head of the Italian Red Cross, succeed Nicola Zingaretti of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) as the president of the Lazio region. Despite his background in healthcare management, his platform was based on promises to improve the region’s road and rail infrastructure.

As for Lombardy, the conservatives only needed to affirm their standing there since the winner – Attilio Fontana – was the incumbent President of the region and will continue in this position for a new term. He won with almost 55% of the vote against the PD candidate Pierfrancesco Majorino who obtained 33.9 per cent of the ballots.