Italy’s local elections ease pressure on Meloni after referendum setback

MILAN – Italy’s municipal elections on 24–25 May delivered a mixed electoral map and eased pressure on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after her coalition’s recent constitutional referendum defeat failed to translate into broader momentum for the opposition.

The vote, covering just over 10% of Italy’s municipalities, was widely seen as the first political test since the March referendum setback for the conservative government.

Attention focused heavily on Venice, where the centre-left hoped a victory could signal a wider political shift. Instead, the centre-right secured the mayoralty in the first round, denying the opposition what had become the most symbolically important race of the cycle.

Elsewhere, the picture remained mixed. The centre-left regained Pistoia in its traditional Tuscan stronghold but lost Reggio Calabria, ending more than a decade of centre-left control in the southern city.

Centre-left Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein argued that, despite the local…