Eurosceptic party WINS big in Italy: Rome elects first female Mayor in historic move
ITALY'S eurosceptic anti-establishment party has achieved a breakthrough victory after a female lawyer has made history to become the first woman mayor of the Italian capital city Rome.
Virginia Raggi, from anti-establishment 5-star party, has been elected the new Mayor for Rome
Virginia Raggi, 37, won a landslide victory claiming 67 percent of the vote.
The result represented a major breakthrough for the anti-establishment 5-Star party which is harnessing public anger at official corruption.
The win is expected to be a massive blow to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s center-left Democratic Party (PD).
Ms Raggi said of her historic victory: “A new era is beginning with us. We'll work to bring back legality and transparency to the city's institutions.”
The Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi, saw his centre-left Democratic Party (PD) trounced in local elections in Rome and Turin but it held on to power in Italy's financial powerhouse, Milan, and in the northern city of Bologna.
Renzi took office in 2014 promising to revitalise Italy but has struggled to boost economic growth and create jobs after years of stagnation and several banking scandals.
Rome set to elect its first female mayor
PD Vice President Matteo Ricci said yesterday the party would have to carry out a “profound analysis” of the results and “reorganise” itself.
He added: “We need a stronger, more structured party, with a more visible leadership that helps Renzi,”
The loss in Turin, a centre-left stronghold and home of carmaker Fiat, was a major shock.
Piazza del Campidoglio, where the Mayor of Rome operates
Five-Star was founded seven years ago by the comedian Beppe Grillo and has so far controlled a handful of medium-sized towns. Success in Rome and Turin could prove a springboard to victory in national elections due in 2018.
Leader of establishment party Matteo Renzi trounced in local elections in Rome and Turin
The fiery Grillo, 67, has retreated from front-line politics, making way for a generation of young leaders who have given 5-Star a more moderate image and broader appeal.
Five-Star's protests against rampant corruption in Italian public life made the party’s name and its policies are now taken seriously.
Five-Star was founded seven years ago by the comedian Beppe Grillo
These include universal income support for the poor, tougher penalties on white collar crime and tax evasion, closing down or privatising many publicly owned companies and cutting taxes for small businesses.