Italy's right-wing League leader Matteo Salvini failed to overturn decades of leftist rule in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna in an election that brought relief to the embattled coalition government
ROME - Italy’s right-wing League leader Matteo Salvini failed to overturn decades of leftist rule in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna on Sunday in an election that brought relief to the center-left and the embattled government.
Opinion polls had pointed to a neck-and-neck race, and the defeat by almost eight points was a clear and rare reversal for Salvini, who had promised to serve the government with an “eviction order” if he won. His rightist bloc did secure a resounding victory in a separate regional election on Sunday in the underdeveloped southern toe of Italy, Calabria.But the main prize was undoubtedly Emilia-Romagna, one of Italy’s wealthiest regions, which is home to the Ferrari sports car and Parmesan cheese and has been an impregnable leftist stronghold for generations.
But while the PD dodged disaster, its coalition partner, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, won just 3.5% of the vote in Emilia-Romagna and little more than 7% in Calabria. “Looking ahead, the government will likely continue to struggle to deliver on most policy fronts... The 5-Star will be internally torn, at the very least, until its planned congress in March,” said Wolfango Piccoli in a Teneo research note, noting that the risk of a snap general election was lower.
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