Snap municipal elections were held in Rome on 5 and 19 June 2016 to elect the mayor of Rome and 48 members of the City Council of Rome, as well as the fifteen presidents and more than 400 councillors of the 15 municipi in which the municipality is divided. The elections were called following the fall of the former mayor of Rome Ignazio Marino, who was elected with the Democratic Party (PD) in 2013 but was ousted from office after more than half of the members of the City Council resigned in October 2015.

The first round of voting on 5 June produced no outright winner, resulting in a run-off election on 19 June between the Five Star Movement (M5S) candidate Virginia Raggi and the centre-left coalition and PD candidate Roberto Giachetti. Raggi won the mayoral election with two-thirds of the vote, and her party alone won a majority in the City Council, with 29 of the 48 seats. The results were widely reported as a major breakthrough for the M5S, which had previously been seen as a protest party rather than a significant political force. At the same round of elections, the M5S also won the mayoralty of Turin.

Background On 12 October 2015, the incumbent mayor Ignazio Marino announced his resignation amidst an accusation of expense scandal that had been made by some opposition parties (especially Five Star Movement and the right-wing Brothers of Italy). On 29 October, he retired the resignation. On 30 October, he was ousted from his position after 26 of the 48 members of the City Council resigned. The mayor was replaced by a government-appointed commissioner and snap municipal elections were called.

Centre-left coalition primary election As in 2013, the centre-left coalition decided to hold a primary election on 6 March 2016 to decide its mayoral candidate. There were six main candidates, all from the Democratic Party since the left-wing parties decided to break the alliance and present their own mayoral candidate. Among the most popular candidates were deputies Roberto Giachetti and Roberto Morassut. More than 47,000 citizens took part to the primary election, which was won by Giachetti.

Candidate Supported by Votes (%) Roberto Giachetti PD 64% Roberto Morassut PD 28%Others 8%Total 100%

Five Star Movement primary election As it previously did in different occasion, the Five Star Movement decided to hold a primary election to choose its mayoral candidate. Many candidates took part in the closed primary, which was held online on 23 February 2016. Virginia Raggi, one of the four members of the City Council elected for the M5S in 2013, won the primary with 45% of votes.

Voting system The voting system is used for all mayoral elections in Italy in the cities with a population higher than 15,000 inhabitants. Under this system, voters express a direct election for the mayor or an indirect election voting for the party of the candidate's coalition. If no candidate receives 50% of votes, the top two candidates go to a second round after two weeks. This gives a result whereby the winning candidate may be able to claim majority support, although it is not guaranteed. The election of the City Council is based on a direct choice for the candidate with a preference vote; the candidate with the majority of the preferences is elected. The number of the seats for each party is determined proportionally.

Political parties and candidates + List of political parties and candidatesPolitical party or allianceConstituent party or listsCandidate Left-wing coalition Left for Rome (SEL, PRC, PCdI, AET, POS, FaS) Stefano Fassina Fassina for Mayor Centre-left coalition Democratic Party Roberto Giachetti Democrats and Populars (UDC, CD, DemoS) Federation of the Greens Italy of Values Radicals Federalists Lay Ecologists Lay Civic Socialists Five Star Movement Virginia Raggi Centre-right coalition Forza Italia Alfio Marchini Marchini List Popular Rome Storace List Right-wing coalition Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni League – Us with Salvini Italian Liberal Party Popular Federation for Freedom (PpI, NCDU)

Opinion polling First round Date Polling firm Giachetti Bertolaso Raggi Meloni Marchini Fassina Storace Others Lead 19 May 2016 Tecnè 24.0 29.9 19.0 17.4 5.1 4.6 5.9 18–19 May 2016 IPR 24.0 29.0 21.0 19.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 17–19 May 2016 ScenariPolitici 25.0 27.0 19.0 18.5 7.5 3.0 2.0 17–18 May 2016 IZI SpA 24.3 26.3 24.1 15.5 6.2 3.6 2.0 9–18 May 2016 Demos&Pi 24.5 30.5 23.1 11.4 8.1 2.4 6.0 16–17 May 2016 IPR 24.0 26.0 21.0 20.0 3.0 6.0 2.0 12–13 May 2016 Quorum 24.7 30.5 21.1 18.4 4.3 1.0 5.8 7–12 May 2016 TermometroPolitico30.5 29.5 14.0 18.5 7.5 1.0 11 May 2016 Tecnè 27.1 30.2 19.8 19.0 3.9 3.1 9 May 2016 Deligo 25.3 31.2 24.1 16.9 2.5 5.9 6 May 2016 TermometroPolitico29.5 28.5 14.5 16.5 6.0 5.0 1.0 4–6 May 2016 Index Research 22.0 28.0 20.0 19.0 7.5 3.5 6.0 3–5 May 2016 ScenariPolitici 23.5 26.5 19.5 19.5 6.5 4.5 3.0 2 May 2016 Tecnè 20.5 28.5 20.0 19.5 7.0 4.5 8.5 2 May 2016 Index Research 24.5 26.7 19.5 19.5 7.0 2.8 2.2 28 April 2016 Tecnè 21.5 27.6 20.0 20.9 5.6 1.6 2.8 6.1 20–22 April 2016 IZI SpA 22.4 7.428.2 24.0 9.0 6.6 2.4 0.0 4.2 19 April 2016 Tecnè 20.0 27.0 21.0 21.0 6.0 2.0 3.0 6.0 19 April 2016 Tecnè 21.0 11.026.0 20.0 10.0 7.0 3.0 2.0 5.0 4–8 April 2016 Index Research 24.5 8.127.4 17.6 10.4 6.8 3.2 2.0 1.9 22–24 March 2016 ScenariPolitici 26.6 10.5 25.0 17.7 8.9 6.4 4.0 0.9 1.6 14–15 March 2016 ScenariPolitici 24.0 15.025.0 14.0 10.0 8.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 14–15 March 2016 ScenariPolitici 24.0 25.0 25.0 11.0 8.0 5.0 2.0 0.0 10–11 March 2016 Index Research 30.0 15.033.0 10.0 5.0 7.0 0.0 3.0

Second round Giachetti vs. Raggi Date Polling firm Giachetti Raggi Lead 19 May 2016 Tecnè 42.8 57.2 14.4 17–19 May 2016 ScenariPolitici 40.0 60.0 20.0 9–18 May 2016 Demos&Pi 45.8 54.2 8.4 17 May 2016 Tecnè 43.0 57.0 14.0 16–17 May 2016 IPR 42.0 58.0 16.0 12–13 May 2016 Quorum 42.2 57.8 15.6 11 May 2016 Tecnè 40.6 59.4 18.8 3–5 May 2016 ScenariPolitici 40.0 60.0 20.0 2 May 2016 Tecnè 40.0 60.0 20.0 2 May 2016 Index Research 45.0 55.0 10.0 28 April 2016 Tecnè 39.9 60.1 20.2 20–23 April 2016 ScenariPolitici 39.0 61.0 22.0 19 April 2016 Tecnè 41.0 59.0 18.0 17–18 April 2016 Index Research 44.0 56.0 12.0

Meloni vs. Raggi Date Polling firm Meloni Raggi Lead 19 May 2016 Tecnè 45.2 54.8 9.6 17–19 May 2016 ScenariPolitici 50.5 49.5 1.0 9–18 May 2016 Demos&Pi 43.3 56.7 13.4 17 May 2016 Tecnè 46.5 53.5 7.0 16–17 May 2016 IPR 48.0 52.0 4.0 12–13 May 2016 Quorum 42.2 57.8 15.6 11 May 2016 Tecnè 45.6 54.4 8.8 3–5 May 2016 ScenariPolitici 51.0 49.0 2.0 2 May 2016 Tecnè 47.0 53.0 6.0 2 May 2016 Index Research 49.0 51.0 2.0 28 April 2016 Tecnè 47.1 52.9 5.8 20–23 April 2016 ScenariPolitici 51.5 48.5 3.0 19 April 2016 Tecnè 48.0 52.0 4.0

Marchini vs. Raggi Date Polling firm Marchini Raggi Lead 19 May 2016 Tecnè 45.9 54.1 8.2 17–19 May 2016 ScenariPolitici 48.0 52.0 4.0 17 May 2016 Tecnè 48.0 52.0 4.0 16–17 May 2016 IPR 51.0 49.0 2.0 12–13 May 2016 Quorum 34.5 65.5 31.0 11 May 2016 Tecnè 46.6 53.4 6.8 3–5 May 2016 ScenariPolitici 51.0 49.0 2.0 2 May 2016 Tecnè 48.5 51.5 3.0 2 May 2016 Index Research 51.0 49.0 2.0 28 April 2016 Tecnè 49.6 50.4 0.8 19 April 2016 Tecnè 50.0 50.0 0.0

Political parties Date Polling firm PD FI M5S LM SI FdI LS LcS AP Others Lead 9–18 May 2016 Demos&Pi 22.3 7.4 32.2 5.4 3.7 8.5 3.2 4.3 9.9 7–12 May 2016 TermometroPolitico 24.5 6.5 28.5 10.5 11.0 2.0 1.5 15.5 4.0 6 May 2016 TermometroPolitico 27.0 6.5 28.0 9.0 6.0 11.0 2.0 2.5 0.5 7.5 1.0 1–3 Mar 2016 ScenariPolitici 28.9 7.9 24.3 6.5 4.7 10.7 5.6 4.9 1.9 4.6 4.6 9–11 Feb 2016 ScenariPolitici 28.6 7.7 27.6 7.2 4.4 12.3 3.1 4.1 1.0 2.5 1.0 18–24 Jan 2016 TermometroPolitico 26.3 6.9 29.1 8.2 3.9 8.5 5.2 1.2 10.7 2.8 6 May 2013 Election results 26.3 19.2 12.8 7.5 6.3 5.9 1.3 20.7 7.1

Results + Summary of the 2016 Rome City Council and Mayoral election results Candidate 1st round 2nd round Leader'sseat Political party or party list Votes % Seats Votes % Votes % Virginia Raggi 461,190 35.26 770,564 67.15 – Five Star Movement 420,435 35.32 29 Roberto Giachetti 325,835 24.91 376,935 32.85 Democratic Party 240,637 17.19 6 Giachetti for Mayor 49,457 4.15 1 Democrats and Populars 17,378 1.46 – Radicals Federalists Lay Ecologists 14,165 1.19 – Lay Civic Socialists 7,716 0.64 – Federation of the Greens 5,827 0.49 – Italy of Values 3,085 0.25 –Total302,26525.407 Giorgia Meloni 269,760 20.62 – – Brothers of Italy 146,054 12.27 4 With Giorgia Meloni for Mayor 40,441 3.39 1 League – Us with Salvini 32,175 2.70 – Italian Liberal Party 10,749 0.90 – Popular Federation for Freedom 4,146 0.34 –Total233,56519.635 Alfio Marchini 143,829 10.99 – – Alfio Marchini for Mayor 56,686 4.76 2 Forza Italia 50,842 4.27 1 Popular Rome 15,453 1.29 – Storace List 7,391 0.62 – Christian Revolution 1,747 0.14 – Liberal Network 1,225 0.10 – Italian Building Site Movement 1,124 0.09 –Total134,46811.303 Stefano Fassina 58,498 4.47 – – Left for Rome 46,774 3.93 – Fassina for Mayor 6,006 0.50 –Total52,7804.43 – Simone Di Stefano 14,865 1.13 – – – CasaPound 14,118 1.18 – Alessandro Mustillo 10,371 0.79 – – – Communist Party 9,917 0.83 – Dario Di Francesco 8,021 0.61 – – – Talking Cricket List – No Euro 4,772 0.39 – Pensioners' Union 1,131 0.09 – Movement for Rome 1,032 0.08 – Centre League 719 0.06 – With Joy! Long Live Italy 281 0.02 –Total7,8850.66 – Mario Adinolfi 7,992 0.61 – – – The People of the Family 7,480 0.62 – Carlo Rienzi 2,760 0.21 – – – Codacons 2,578 0.21 – Alfredo Iorio 2,641 0.20 – – – Fatherland 2,576 0.21 – Fabrizio Verduchi 1,310 0.10 – – – Christian Italy 1,185 0.09 – Michel Emi Maritato 873 0.06 – – – Assotutela 878 0.07 – Total 1,307,945 100.00 1,147,499 100.00 4 1,190,130 100.00 44Eligible voters100.00100.00Did not vote42.9749.86Voted57.0350.14Blank or invalid ballots2.973.18Total valid votes97.0396.82Source: Ministry of the Interior

Municipi election

+ Results for each municipio with the percentage for each coalition on the second round Municipio M5S Centre-left Right-wing Elected President Party I 49.2 50.8 – Sabrina AlfonsiPD II 48.3 51.7 – Francesca Del BelloPD III 62.9 37.1 – Roberta CapoccioniM5S IV 68.2 31.8 – Roberta Della CasaM5S V 67.8 32.2 – Giovanni BoccuzziM5S VI 72.9 – 27.1 Roberto RomanellaM5S VII 64.8 35.2 – Monica LozziM5S VIII 59.1 40.9 – Paolo PaceM5S IX 65.0 35.0 – Dario D'InnocentiM5S XMunicipal Council and President suspended XI 61.9 38.1 – Mario TorelliM5S XII 56.9 43.1 – Silvia CrescimannoM5S XIII 64.7 35.3 – Giuseppina Castagnetta M5S XIV 61.9 38.1 – Alfredo CampagnaM5S XV 58.6 41.2 – Stefano SimonelliM5S All the presidents were elected on the second round, since none obtained more than 50% of votes on the first round of voting. The president of Municipio X was not elected since the municipio was under the administration of a Special Commissioner nominated after the municipal council had been dissolved in 2015 due to mafia association. Source: Municipality of Rome – Electoral Service

See also 2016 Italian local elections 2016 Turin municipal election Opinion polling for the 2016 Italian local elections

References