Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition government declared victory Monday in regional elections, although the vote was marked by low turnout.
In the northern region of Lombardy, Italy’s economic powerhouse that surrounds Milan, the coalition’s candidate, Attilio Fontana, was re-elected president with 54.4 percent of the vote, according to projections by state broadcaster Rai.
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Meanwhile in Lazio, the region that includes the capital Rome, the coalition candidate Francesco Rocca, the former head of Italy’s Red Cross, was projected to win 52.1 percent.
Meloni, who cancelled events Monday due to a bout of flu, tweeted her congratulations for what she called a “clear victory”.
“A result that consolidates the centre-right’s coherence, and strengthens the work of the government,” she wrote on Twitter.
However, official turnout in the elections held Sunday and Monday was just 41.7 percent in Lombardy and 37.2 percent in Lazio. It is hard to compare to the 2018 vote, which was held at the same time as nationwide elections.
Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party made history in September by winning 26 percent of the vote in national elections.
She formed a government with her coalition allies, Matteo Salvini’s far-right League and former premier Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing Forza Italia.
Fontana is a member of the League, and Salvini was quick to congratulate him, writing on Instagram: “Victory. Thank you Lombardy. Thank you Lazio.”
The League has lost support in recent years, largely to Brothers of Italy, which has its roots in the country’s post-fascist movement and campaigned on a programme of anti-immigration and nationalism.
Meloni’s party is still enjoying a post-election honeymoon, according to a YouTrend nationwide poll published earlier this month that found that 29.4 percent of Italian voters supported Brothers of Italy.
By contrast the League was at 8.7 percent, and Forza Italia at 7 percent.
Italy’s divided opposition includes the populist Five Star Movement, which is polling at almost 18 percent nationwide, and the leaderless, centre-left Democratic Party at 15.8 percent.
Italy’s 20 regions enjoy a great deal of autonomy from the central government, charged with everything from health to transport and education.
