Salvini’s Lega helps centre-right make a strong showing in local and administrative elections

AP: Italy’s LEGA has helped the center-right post a strong showing in local and administrative elections, while its partner at national level, the 5-Star Movement, suffered setbacks.

This was confirmed by ANSA: “Initial results of Italian local elections held on Sunday show that the rightwing populist League spearheaded a strong showing by the center-right alliance. The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), which has formed a government with the League at the national level but ran alone in the local votes, had largely disappointing results”, the news agency said.

One can’t exclude that the current stand-off with Malta and the rhetoric used by Salvini was also influential in the electoral result. 

AP adds that the anti-establishment 5-Stars didn’t win the mayorship of Ivrea, the northern Italian hometown of 5-Star strategist Davide Casaleggio, or either of the two municipal seats up for grabs in Rome, where 5-Star Mayor Virginia Raggi triumphed two years ago. Experts say the 5-Stars are paying the price for their alliance with the right-wing League that has alienated their moderate and left-leaning flank. The 5-Stars had triumphed in March 4 national elections thanks in part to defections from the traditional center-left Democratic Party. The Democrats seemed surprised by their own strong showing Sunday.