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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition secured a major political victory after winning the Venice mayoral election, according to projections released Monday. The result allows the centre-right alliance to maintain control of one of the most high-profile cities contested during Italy’s latest round of local elections.
The municipal vote was closely watched as it marked the government’s first major electoral challenge since suffering a setback in the March justice referendum. That defeat was widely viewed as Meloni’s biggest political reversal since becoming prime minister in 2022.
Despite recent opinion polls suggesting a possible centre-left breakthrough in Venice, centre-right candidate Simone Venturini emerged victorious with nearly 51% of the vote. His main challenger received around 39%, enabling Venturini to avoid a runoff election that would have been required if no candidate crossed the 50% threshold.
Polling firm Youtrend declared Venturini the clear winner, noting that his lead was large enough to make the final outcome certain. Venice has remained under conservative leadership for the past decade, and the latest result strengthens Meloni’s position ahead of Italy’s next general election expected next year.
Senior Brothers of Italy lawmaker Giovanni Donzelli said opposition parties believed they could use Venice to signal weakness within Meloni’s government, but voters delivered a different message at the ballot box.
Elsewhere in Italy, local elections produced mixed results. In Salerno, veteran politician Vincenzo De Luca won another term after previously serving as regional governor in Campania. In Sicily’s Messina, independent former mayor Federico Basile secured re-election, while centre-right forces also performed strongly in Reggio Calabria, a city previously governed by the left for over a decade.
The latest election results suggest Italy’s political landscape remains highly competitive as both major blocs prepare for a crucial national contest in 2027.
