Italy has closed the long marathon regional elections 2025, It is considered a test of national courage, and as usually happens when the polls close, everyone claims victory. Center right, with Alberto Stefani (League), wins comfortably in Veneto, while … The opposition prevails with Roberto Fico (5 Star Movement) in Campania and Antonio DeCaro (PD) in Puglia.
The overall tally for these two months of voting in six regions was 3-3: Three confirmed fiefdoms on the right (Marche, Calabria and Veneto) and Three on the left and their allies (Tuscany, Campania, and Puglia are regions that have been center-left fiefdoms for decades.) Nothing changes color and the general map remains: the conservative bloc governs 12 of Italy’s 20 regions and the center-left in 6, with Valle d’Aosta and the autonomous province of Bolzano in the hands of autonomous powers.
Above the regional distribution, a disturbing protagonist appears: abstentionism. In this latest round, just over four out of ten voters went to the polls. The final participation remained at around 44.6% in Veneto, 41.8% in Puglia and 44.1% in Campania, i.e. between 11 and 16.5 points lower than in the 2020 Regional Championship. These figures are even worse than the European figures for 2024, which increases the deterioration seen in other events this year. Italy thus confirms the drift towards low-intensity democracy, where governments and opposition carve out regions while a large half of the country remains at home.
In this context, the center-left found a strong message repeated on Monday by the leaders of the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement and the allied formations: these regional groups prove that, contrary to the story of the “invincible” Giorgia Meloni, in Italy there is an alternative to the current government when the progressive camp presents itself united. Victories in Campania and Puglia, as well as Tuscany and previous conquests such as Sardinia or Umbria, fuel the idea that the so-called “Long Domain” could compete for national power if it maintained this unity until 2027.
As for the right, it insists on another reading: there has been no erosion in the parliamentary majority after three years of rule, and no feudalism of its own has fallen, and the country still clearly leans toward the center-right in all regions. They stress that the 3-3 result is a far cry from the 4-1 result that some opposition politicians imagined in September, convinced that they could also control the Marche region.
In Veneto, the result was overwhelming: center-right candidate Stefani received about 63% of the vote, while center-left candidate Giovanni Manildo remained on about 30%. The League remains the first party in Veneto, with a percentage of 36%, that is, double the percentage of the Italian Brotherhood, while the Democratic Party occupies third place (17%). It is a symbolic blow for Meloni, who was hoping to transcend the league in the Venetian fiefdom, as happened in the 2024 European Championship.
Meloni is still going strong
In the south, the picture has changed completely. In Campania, Roberto Fico received about 62% of the votes, compared to… Edmundo CirelliWhich does not reach 36% despite Meloni’s direct support. In Puglia, Antonio Decaro’s victory was close to 65%, while Luigi Lubuno’s victory remained at 33.6%. For the centre-left, Campagna and Puglia constitute empirical proof of their thesis: when the opposition presents itself united and with popular candidates, the right is no longer invincible.
The curtain falls on these regional matches as well as the debate on the rules of the game reopens. Of the majority, such as leaders Giovanni Donzelli They once again raise the need for a new, clearer electoral law, while rewarding coalitions that cross a certain threshold, in the name of stability. The opposition responds that the real problem is not protecting the majority, but rather reconnecting with the half of Italians who do not bother to cast their votes. From now until 2027, between the temptation to consolidate the system and the urgent need to regain participation, the game that these regional tournaments are only just beginning to advertise will be played.