Italian local elections are taking place on 3 and 4 October

Less than a third of the country’s municipalities are participating, but the major cities will be up for grabs

Following a delay due to the Covid pandemic, a new round of Italian local elections is set to take place on 3-4 October 2021. Originally these were scheduled for the spring of this year, the national government announced that they will happen at a later date.

20 provincial capitals to keep an eye on

Local elections in Italy are not an encompassing national affair. In fact, different municipalities hold their elections in different years giving a picture that is an ever-changing mosaic on the electoral map depending on the year. What is sure, however, is that every year somewhere in Italy there will be battles for some mayoral seats.

Out of 7,903 Italian municipalities, only 1,293 will hold elections for mayors and city councils, which is less than a third of the total. However, this edition of ballot casting will be particularly interesting to observe since 20 provincial capitals will hold elections – among them many of the country’s major cities.

That means that the mayoral terms in cities, such as Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Trieste and Bologna have come to an end and the incumbents there will seek to return to office based on the work they have done until now.

For example, Virginia Raggi, famous for being the first woman to become Rome’s mayor will be one of those seeking confirmation of approval from the electoral audience. Five years ago she swept into victory representing the populist Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S), promising ‘winds of change’.

Hers, however, has been a term marked by many ups and downs, what with the introduction of electric scooters and other electrified public transport into the urban transit system, but also with the memory of waste collection issues.