In Italy, the first round of municipal elections consecrates the defeat of the League of Matteo Salvini

The right is in retreat in large urban centers, a particularly severe rout for the far-right party. The left, led by the Democratic Party, is already winning Milan, Naples and Bologna, and is in a favorable position in Turin. In Rome, the games remain open.

Usually Matteo Salvini is not particularly inclined to self-criticism. But this time, the verdict of the ballot box at the end of the first round of the municipal elections of October 3 and 4 is so clear that the political leader of the League (far right) had no other choice but to admit his responsibilities in the defeat, Monday, at the beginning of the evening, in front of the cameras of the Rai: “In certain cities, we arrived to choose too late the candidates to oppose to the left (…). We arrived late, even if we have the best candidates… ”, he conceded, while the stampede of the right in the large urban centers took all its magnitude.

In Milan, Naples and Bologna, the left won clearly, from the first round. In Turin, it is in a very favorable position, while in Rome itself, where the games are more open, the right has not won a game ... Struggling to agree locally and nationally, the tenors of the Right had decided to align vis-a-vis the candidates of the left only "apolitical" figures, resulting from the civil society. But how can illustrious strangers emerge from the media in a few days and portray them as serious contenders for the management of large metropolises?

Sent to the front line without preparation or support, they weighed very little against their competitors from the left. In Milan, for example, Luca Bernardo's campaign turned to the Stations of the Cross. In mid-September, he even had to threaten to withdraw in order to obtain from the staffs a minimum of funds… Luca Bernardo only obtained 32% of the votes, while the outgoing mayor, Beppe Sala, from the Democratic Party , was close to 57%.

In Naples (64% for Gaetano Manfredi, presented by the left, against 21% for Catello Maresca, supported by the right) and Bologna (62% for Matteo Lepore, center left, and 30% for Fabio Battistini, center right), the the result was even clearer, even if the right's chances of putting on a good face were very slim.

The League at 11% in its Milan bastion

Compared to these disastrous attempts, the course of the candidate presented by the right-wing forces in Turin, Paolo Damilano, is quite honorable. Credited with nearly 39% of the vote, against 43.6% to Stefano Lo Russo (Democratic Party), he can hope to create a surprise during the second round, on October 17 and 18, by mobilizing the abstainers and those who, among the disappointed with the previous municipal team, led by Chiara Appendino (5-star movement, anti-system), do not resign themselves to giving their voice to the left. But its chances remain hypothetical.