ASSESSMENTS

A Warning Sent to Italy's Ruling Party

Jun 6, 2016 | 15:09 GMT

A Warning Sent to Italy's Ruling Party
In the first round of municipal elections June 5, Italy's ruling Democratic Party ended up neck and neck with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement in some cities, suggesting hard times ahead for Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

(ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Summary

Italy held its first round of municipal elections on June 5, and though Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's party came out ahead in several districts, it did not win by a wide enough margin to avoid a runoff. The ruling center-left Democratic Party emerged from the elections in front of its rivals in many of Italy's biggest cities, including Milan (41.7 percent of the vote), Turin (41.8 percent) and Bologna (39.5 percent). But it failed to reach the second round of voting in Naples, the country's third-largest city. Meanwhile, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement was close on the party's heels elsewhere, finishing second in Turin with 30.9 percent of the vote and winning Rome outright with 35.3 percent. With the Five Star Movement poised to take control of some of Italy's most important municipalities in the June 19 runoff, hard times could be ahead for Renzi, who has staked his political future on a constitutional referendum in October.

Italy held its first round of municipal elections this weekend, and though Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's party came out ahead in several districts, it did not win by a wide enough margin to avoid a runoff. The ruling center-left Democratic Party emerged from the June 5 elections in front of its rivals in many of Italy's biggest cities, including Milan (41.7 percent of the vote), Turin (41.8 percent) and Bologna (39.5 percent). However, it failed to reach the second round of voting in Naples, the country's third-largest city. Meanwhile, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement was close on the party's heels elsewhere, finishing second in Turin with 30.9 percent of the vote and winning Rome outright with 35.3 percent. With the Five Star Movement poised to take control of some of Italy's most important municipalities in the June 19 runoff, hard times could be ahead for Renzi, who has staked his...

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