by InTrieste
Italy will hold regional elections this weekend in Campania, Puglia and Veneto, a closely watched test for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing governing coalition as it approaches the midpoint of its five-year term.
The vote on Nov. 23 and 24 will take place in two southern regions long governed by the center-left—Campania and Puglia—and in Veneto, a northern stronghold of the right-wing League party led by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.
While recent polling suggests that the political balance in all three regions may remain largely unchanged, Ms. Meloni on Friday cautioned supporters not to take the outcome for granted, saying that “predictions can be proved wrong.”
Campania
Ms. Meloni delivered her warning at a rally in Naples, where she appeared with Mr. Salvini and Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister and leader of Forza Italia, in support of Edmondo Cirielli, the center-right candidate in Campania.
Mr. Cirielli, a senior member of Ms. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, faces Roberto Fico of the Five Star Movement, who is backed by the center-left Democratic Party.
Mr. Fico is favored to succeed the outgoing Democratic governor, Vincenzo De Luca, who has led the region for a decade and is barred from seeking a third term. For the governing coalition—now in control of 14 of Italy’s 20 regions—wresting Campania from the center-left would be a significant victory.
Puglia
In neighboring Puglia, the center-left has held power for 20 years, and Antonio Decaro, a Democratic Party member of the European Parliament and former mayor of Bari, is widely expected to continue that streak.
His main challenger is Luigi Lobuono, an entrepreneur supported by the parties within the national right-wing coalition.
Veneto
The northern region of Veneto has been governed for 15 years by the League’s Luca Zaia, one of the party’s most prominent figures, who cannot run again because of term limits. Alberto Stefani, the League candidate and a member of Parliament, is strongly favored to succeed him.
Giovanni Manildo of the Democratic Party is running with the backing of the center-left opposition.
When Italians Will Vote
Polling stations will be open on Sunday, Nov. 23, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on Monday, Nov. 24, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
