In the parliamentary by-elections held in the Trionfale constituency in Rome, Italy, on March 1, Democratic Party’s (PD) Roberto Gualtieri has defeated Maurizio Leo of the ultra-conservative Brothers of Italy by winning 62.24% of the votes. Communist Party leader Marco Rizzo won fourth place with a significant increase in vote share compared to the previous elections in 2018.
Earlier, on February 23, the center-left candidate won the by-election to the Senate constituency of San Carlo all’Arena (Naples). The recent electoral trends show that the winning streak of the Italian right-wing under the leadership of Matteo Salvini has been checked, at least temporarily.
Following the results, the Communist Party (PC), in its statement, said, “The results give us greater responsibility for building the Communist Party in Italy. We would also like to remind you that as a responsible, active and integral part of the Communist Parties and Workers’ Initiative of Europe, the development of our action is growing even at the international level. Our strategic commitment will be to get out of the EU, Euro and NATO and to build a socialist society.” Rizzo got 2.62% as opposed to the last election in 2018 when the party’s candidate had won 0.37%
Another by-election, in the constituency of Terni, are scheduled for March 8. Earlier, the provincial elections in Emilia Romagna on January 26 also saw the PD defeating the right-wing coalition led by Salvini’s League. The momentum provided by the Sardine movement helped in averting a right-wing victory.
