Italians vote in local elections, a test for Meloni’s government

Italians were voting today in local elections, in a two-day vote that began today and will end tomorrow at 3 p.m. These elections pose a challenge for the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after seven months in power but also for the new leader of the opposition, Elly Schlein.The elections are held in 790 Italian municipalities, 17 of them provincial capitals, and more than 6 million voters were called. For towns with more than 15,000 inhabitants, a second round is planned in case of absence of absolute majorities, which will be held on May 28 and 29. The test is for Meloni, who has been in power for seven months at the head of a right-wing coalition that includes his far-right party. At stake, between both rounds, there is a regional capital, Ancona, and 17 provincials, including Brescia, Pisa, Siena, Latina, Treviso and Brindisi.La right is currently in advantage, as it governs in nine of them, while the center-left does so in six, so the challenge is both for the majority in power and for the opposition. In turn, it will be the first major electoral test for Schlein, the leader of the Democratic Party (PD), the main center-left formation, which in these elections hopes to give a boost to its new secretary general and retake some regions lost in 2018, in particular Siena and Pisa. 

Original source in Spanish