We are talking about nothing other than European elections, but on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June in 3.715 Italian municipalities there will also be voting for the 2024 municipal elections. And this is not a small vote, given that the call to the polls will concern 29 provincial capitals and six regional capitals. If that wasn't enough: on the same dates, in Piemonte, we will also vote for the election of the council and the president of the regional council.
Municipal elections 2024, when will we vote? Dates and times
For both the European and municipal elections (and for the regional ones in Piedmont) the polls will open Saturday 8 June at 15 pm. Closing is scheduled for 23pm. On Sunday 9 June we will vote all day, from 7 am to 23 pm. Lo ballot for the municipal elections it will begin at 14pm on Monday 10 June. The possibles ballots will take place on 23 and 24 June 2024.
Municipal elections 2024: who can vote and what documents are needed?
All Italian citizens registered on the electoral lists who have turned 18 on the date of the vote can vote. Citizens of a member state of the European Union residing in the municipality where the elections are held are also eligible to vote, provided they have submitted a request to the mayor within 40 days of the vote. The vote from outside the office instead it is only possible in very few cases and only for European elections, not for municipal elections.
In order to vote you must go to the polling station with a identification document valid and the electoral card. In case of loss or running out of space for stamping, a new card can also be requested on voting days at the electoral office of the municipality where you are registered on the electoral lists.
Municipal elections 2024: where to vote?
The administrative elections concern 3.520 municipalities in the ordinary statute regions, 114 municipalities in Friuli Venezia Giulia, 27 municipalities in Sardinia and 37 municipalities in Sicily. As mentioned, there are among them 29 provincial capitals and 6 regional capitals: Ascoli Piceno, Avellino, Bari, Bergamo, Biella, Cagliari, Caltanissetta, Campobasso, Cesena, Cremona, Ferrara, Florence, Forlì, Lecce, Livorno, Modena, Pavia, Perugia, Pesaro, Pescara, Potenza, Prato, Reggio Emilia, Rovigo, Sassari, Urbino, Verbania, Vercelli and Vibo Valentia. In the case of Cesena and Urbino, this is the first round of elections following the reassignment of the status of provincial capital to the Municipalities.
The key challenges: the regional capitals
In Bari, Cagliari, Campobasso, Florence, Perugia and Potenza there will be votes to elect the new mayor and renew the city council.
Bari
In a fiery atmosphere in Bari, 5 candidates for the office of Mayor are competing, supported by a total of 26 lists. The centre-left, after 20 years of government, appears divided, thus offering an assist to the centre-right: Michele Laforgia is supported by the M5S e Vito Leccese takes the field for the Democratic Party, the Greens and Action. Pd and M5s were unable to find a unitary agreement, after the primaries were also skipped 48 hours after the vote in the gazebos. A consequence of the judicial earthquake and the three criminal investigations for vote swapping, including political-mafia, which pushed, last April, Giuseppe Conte and the mayoral candidate Michele Laforgia himself to cancel the challenge with the Dem candidate, Vito Leccese, former head of Antonio Decaro's Cabinet.
The centre-right, however, as per tradition, presents itself as united in support of Fabio Romito, a young regional councilor who will be able to count on the support of ten lists.
There are two outsiders: Sabino Mangano, former municipal councilor of the 5 Star Movement from 2014 to 2019 who leads the Oltre list which brings together four associated civic movements; And Nicola Sciacovelli, city councilor for ten years who presented two civic lists.
Cagliari
In Cagliari the centre-right seeks reconfirmation. After the defeat of the outgoing mayor Paolo Truzzu in the February regional elections (Alessandra Todde won in the photo finish), Fratelli d'Italia, Lega and Forza Italia decided to focus on Alessandra Zedda, former president of the Sardinian regional council and former councilor, once in Forza Italia and then merged with the League.
The PD and the 5 Star Movement support the candidacy of Massimo Zedda, 48 years old, mayor of the Sardinian capital between 2011 and 2019. His candidacy is also supported by Italia Viva, which however did not present its own list for the municipal elections. The other candidates are Giuseppe Farris (CiviCA 2024 Movement), Emanuela Corda (Alternativa) and Claudia Ortu (popular Cagliari). Azione does not officially support any mayoral candidate.
Campobasso
In the Molise capital there are three candidates for the mayoral seat, supported by 12 lists in total: Aldo De Benedittis for the centre-right, Marialuisa Forte for the center-left e Pino Ruta for the Civic Construction Site. The first outgoing citizen, Paola Felice (5 Star Movement), who took office in 2023 to replace the newly elected regional councilor Roberto Gravina, will not run again.
Florence
In Florence, which has always been a red stronghold, the centre-left appears more divided than ever and, despite starting as favourite, risks ending up in the run-off, fighting for the last vote with the centre-right which is betting on the outsider coming from culture.
After 10 years of Dario Nardella's administration, the Democratic Party has chosen to nominate its dolphin, the Education Councilor Sara Funaro, without going through the primaries. A decision that greatly irritated the rest of the team. The result? Funaro is supported by Sinistra Italiana +Europa, Azione, Europa Verde, Movimento Laborista, Volt and Movimento Centro. Italia Viva has instead decided to nominate the former regional vice-president Stephanie Saccardi, while the M5S focuses on Lorenzo Masi, lawyer by profession and outgoing city councilor.
The centre-right, however, despite the tensions and uncertainties experienced in recent months, as per tradition, managed to unite around a single name: that of the former director of the Uffizi, Eike Schmidt.
But it doesn't end there, because in the capital there are 10 candidates for the office of mayor. Added to the 4 "big" ones are: Dmitrij Palagi (Sinistra Progetto Comune), Francesca Marrazza (Ribella Firenze), Alessandro De Giuli (Firenze Rinasce), Francesco Zini (Firenze Cambia) and Andrea Asciuti (Firenze Vera).
According to the latest polls, neither the Democratic Party nor the centre-right will be able to reach a majority in the first round and the choice of the mayor could therefore take place at ballot, when the votes of those left out will become decisive (Italia Viva above all).
Perugia
In Perugia, led by the outgoing man for 10 years Andrea Romizi (Forza Italia), the challenge is between five candidates: for the centre-right he takes the field with the outgoing Urban Planning councilor Margherita Scoccia, while the civic Vittoria Ferdinandi it managed the miracle of uniting the Democratic Party, the 5 Star Movement, the Green and Left Alliance, Action and a part of Italia Viva.
Also in the running are Massimo Monni (Perugia Merita, supported by Psi, Italia Viva and Tempi Nuovi – Popolari Uniti), Leonardo Caponi (with the symbol of the PCI, to which the writing 'Perugia against war and neoliberalism' has been added) and the former Perugia midfielder Davide Baiocco (Forza Perugia and Alternativa Riformista – Italexit).
Potenza
A month and a half after the regional elections won by the centre-right, in Potenza we are back to voting to elect the mayor and city council. There are five candidates, among whom the name of the outgoing mayor, the Northern League member Mario Guarente, does not appear. For the center-right, however, there is Francesco Fanelli, vice-president of the regional council supported by Fratelli d'Italia, Lega, Forza Italia, Noi Moderati, Potenza civica-Fanelli mayor, Amiamo Potenza and Orgoglio Lucano/La Vera Basilicata.
Center-left also divided in the Lucanian capital: Pierluigi Smaldone for the 5 Star Movement, Potenza Ritorna and Città Nuova, Vincenzo Telesca supported by: Let's unite for Potenza - Vincenzo Telesca mayor, Together for Potenza, Basilicata Common House, Potenza Prima, Together for Potenza and The Power of Citizens - Democratic Power. Vincenzo Telesca is also supported by Democratic party which supports it without the symbol. They are joined by Francesco Giuzio, candidate with Basilicata Possibile and Maria Grazia Marino with Forza del Popolo.
Municipal elections 2024: how to vote in municipalities with more than 15 thousand inhabitants
In municipalities with more than 15 thousand inhabitants, there are three voting options:
- you can trace a mark on a list symbol: the vote will go both to the list and to the connected mayoral candidate;
- you can trace a mark on the candidate's name mayor: the vote will go only to him/her;
- disjoint vote: it is possible to vote for a mayoral candidate and for a list not connected to him/her.
Next to the list symbol it is also possible to indicate one or two preferences, if there are two they must concern candidates of different sex, otherwise the second is cancelled.
In the first round, whoever gets the is elected 50% + 1 of the preferences. Without an absolute majority we go to the run-off scheduled for 23 and 24 June.
Municipal elections 2024: how to vote in municipalities with fewer than 15 thousand inhabitants
In municipalities with less than 15 thousand inhabitants split voting is not foreseen and the votes cast for a single candidate go to the list linked to him/her. Not only that, in municipalities with a population of less than 5 thousand inhabitants only one preference can be expressed, in those between 5 thousand and 15 thousand two preferences with respect for gender alternation.
There is no ballot, so whoever gets the highest number of votes in the single round wins, regardless of the percentages.
The regional elections in Piedmont
The maxi electoral round in June ends with the regional elections in Piedmont, with the outgoing governor Alberto Cirio (centre-right) ready to attempt reconfirmation. To remain in the president's chair, however, he will have to deal with Gianna Pentenero, 59 years old, current councilor for Labor of Turin. She will be the centre-left candidate supported by the Democratic Party, the Left Green Alliance, the United States of Europe, the environmentalist and solidarity civic list and the Pentenero civic list for president.
The 5 Star Movement instead decided to run alone and run as a candidate Sarah Disabato, regional councilor and outgoing group leader of the M5s. In the past you were a municipal councilor in Collegno.
Two other candidates are also running: the No Tav activist Francesca Frediani, supported by the Piemonte Popolare list, and Alberto Costanzo, supported by Libertà, the front of the leader of the 'South calls North' party Cateno De Luca.
