Regional Elections in Italy: Hard Defeat for the Radical Right-Wing Parties of the Meloni Coalition

The coffee is bitter. Giorgia Meloni, Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani from the right-wing coalition had yesterday lunch together, at Palazzo Chigi, when the three’s cell phones start ringing: the first exit polls have arrived, very informal, on the municipal elections. This time the alarm is louder than expected.

So it’s a debacle. Especially in the city of Genoa: Salvini, the Lega chief, had in all the latest Ligurian rallies even risked a first-round victory for his man, Pietro Piciocchi. Instead, the left wins by a landslide, without even needing a runoff.

Like in Ravenna. Even in Taranto and Matera the majority is trailing. At the end of the meal, this is what they talk about, at the summit between the center-right leaders. And of course, the official comments try to reduce the extent of the damage a bit, «in Ortona two of ours are going to the runoff», «sorry for Genoa, but it is not a national test», dictates the line the Meloni fellow Giovanni Donzelli.

With notebooks closed, however, for several big names the analysis is decidedly more unpleasant: «It went worse than we thought». Above all, the outcome of this round in the cities lights up a serious alarm bell for the autumn regional elections.

The right now fears losing 4 out of 5. That is, all the games except Veneto (which should remain with the League, now giving up on the third mandate, with the Fratelli d’Italia (FdI) from Meloni who could get Sicily back).

Tuscany and Puglia are given up for lost. In Campania, where a part of FdI wants to nominate Edmondo Cirielli and a part is pushing to fish out Gennaro Sangiuliano, things risk getting ugly. In the Marche, however, internal polls show Francesco Acquaroli struggling.

Regional elections are also discussed, therefore, in the hour and a half of confrontation at Chigi. Meloni starts from Trentino, where the League is irritated by the government's challenge to the third mandate for Maurizio Fugatti. "We are waiting for the Consulta to also express its opinion on the regions with special statutes", is the line of the prime minister.

And again: The national electoral law is also being discussed. With FdI leading the way with a proportional system with a majority bonus, unwelcome to the Lega, which does not mind the current single-member constituencies. At the table, Salvini's activism on the bridge over the Strait is also discussed. In particular, the clash with the Quirinale on anti-mafia controls, fueled by the head of the MIT.

Meloni, according to majority sources, is said to have made it clear to the vice-president that she did not appreciate the tensions with the Colle and President Matarelli, moreover on the anniversary of the events of Capaci.

And now they discuss several „external“ factors. Sitting with her deputies, Meloni also takes stock of the most troubled international dossiers. They talk about duties, the prime minister's contacts with Trump over the weekend and Meloni's last phone call with Ursula with der Leyen, on Sunday, before the latter spoke to the tycoon. But they discuss Gaza above all. In particular, the possibility of breaking away more harshly from Netanyahu's action, also considering the mobilizations that are multiplying in the country.

The Minister Guido Crosetto even said: "Netanyahu is getting it all wrong". So other states and their actions are guilty ...

And opposition leader Elly Schlein said: "We win if we are united, Meloni should start to worry."