Alessandra Todde has just made the Italian opposition happy for the first time in a long time. The centre-left candidate in the regional elections on the island of Sardinia has prevailed by a handful of votes over her main opponent, Paolo Truzzu, who headed the list of the right-wing coalition. It is therefore the first significant electoral defeat for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni since she came to power in Italy a year and a half ago.
Todde, endorsed by the alliance between the 5 Star Movement (M5E) and the Democratic Party (PD), has obtained 45.4% of the votes, while the conservative Truzzu, mayor of the city of Càller, has remained with 45%. Therefore, the right, at the head of most Italian regions, will lose control of the island, which until now was ruled by President Christian Solinas, who had to resign due to a corruption investigation.
The blow for Meloni is remarkable, because the premier had imposed on the coalition a candidate from her party, Brothers of Italy, despite the discrepancies of Matteo Salvini, leader of the League, who had criticized the mayor of Cagliari and wanted Solinas continued to be the governor of the island. “Defeats are always a disappointment, but also an opportunity to reflect and improve. We will also learn from it”, wrote the Prime Minister after some results that create questions shortly before the European elections, a path that is expected to be smooth for the Prime Minister, who continues to lead the polls on a national scale. They also highlight that the hook of the leader of Brothers of Italy is not that of her party, always accused of the fragility of its ruling class, something that could push Meloni to present herself as a candidate for Europe.
Todde’s victory was widely celebrated by the left, hoping it would be a first sign of change in Italy and drive unity in the rest of the country. Both the general secretary of the PD, Elly Schlein, and the leader of the M5E, Giuseppe Conte, had gone to the island to support his campaign. “The centre-left hasn’t won a region to the right since 2015. Perhaps the path is the right one. One thing is certain: there is an alternative”, commented Schlein, who expects the results to be repeated in the regional elections in Abruzzo, in two weeks’ time, where the candidate is also endorsed by several opposition parties.
