Italian Elections and Politics - 2023: Post-Berlusconism

[MRCVzla]

Seems some attempts of Constitutional reforms are coming, direct election of the PM, no more designed Senators for Life or a new majoritarian electoral law with bonus.

https://twitter.com/ultimora_pol/status/1719035519550492895

Agreement reached in the government majority, yes to the premiership: direct election of the Prime Minister with a single round.
Stop the nomination of senators for life by the President of the Republic: the figure will remain exclusively for former Heads of State.
And then single-round majoritarian electoral law: 55% of the seats in Parliament to the coalition or party with the most votes (without quorum).
The text is expected in the Council of Ministers on Friday

[MRCVzla]

The latest scandal: Meloni was victim of a prank call by a Russian comic duo who impersonated officials of the African Union (but still with Russian accent) made in mid September (the Italian Government confirmed the authenticity of the call), the Russian duo already have done similar pranks to other European leaders pushing in most case the pro-Russian narrative

https://twitter.com/CrazyItalianPol/status/1719698178268668337

[MRCVzla]

Sardinian regional elections were held on Sunday, no exit polls will be released, and the proper count will start at 7:00 CET of Monday. Turnout: 52.3% (-1.4% respect to 2019, even respect to 2014).

Meanwhile, Tajani is officially now the leader of Forza Italia, after being elected as Secretary(*) -and the single candidate who contested- on the party Congress hold also this weekend.

(*)Secretary, because well, the late Silvio will still be symbolically "Eternal President" of FI.

[MRCVzla]

90% counted and the race is very close, Todde ahead by 0.1% (1100 votes), some portals have already projected her victory, an historic one as would be M5S' first elected regional president ever and the first Region the center-left has flipped from the right since 2015. Conte and Schlein are traveling to Sardinia on the same plane right now and Salvini cancelled some public interventions.

https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1762230401739718739

[MRCVzla]

Between today and tomorrow at evening are the regional election in Basilicata, most likely a CDX hold, turnout at 19h CET is a just 27.6%, 12 points less than 2019 one-day vote but 3 points more respect to 2013, when the election was also between two days.

In parallel, also is the deposit of electoral symbols for the European Election at the Ministery of Interior' Viminale place, also with a deadline tomorrow evening, as far 29 symbols have been presented, among then M5S with a #peace hashtag presented by Conte himself, FdI, Lega, AVS, both liberal lists (Azione and the "United States of Europe" list of +Europa/Italia Viva) with multiple logos of their partners within as well the "trendsetter" of this "too many symbols" with constant updates around the month, Cateno de Luca' Liberty list who reunites mostly populist parties (right-wing eurosceptics/anti-vaxxers or some former leghistas). Tomorrow is expected to be deposited among them the Forza Italia-Noi Moderati symbol as well the PD one, media sources say will include party leader Elly Schlein' name on it.

Schlein herself will be a "list-pusher" at PD lists in the Central and Islands constituencies, other notable candidates are Emilia-Romagna governor and Schlein' primary rival Bonaccini or MP Eleonora Evi (formerly on M5S and Europa Verde). On FI, leader Tajani will also act as "list-pusher" in all constituencies but the Islands (MEP Caterina Chinnici, until last year PD member will be the lead candidate in that constituency). Azione will feature former Parma mayor Pizzarotti who left the Presidency of +Europa for the pact of Bonino with Renzi, most of the candidates in USE list will be either Radicals (like Bonino herself) or even former/current MEPs for other countries like one Czech and a former British libdem MEP.

Links to follow the deposit of symbols:
Eligendo/Interno: https://elezionistorico.interno.gov.it/eligendohome/deposito/europee/20240609/depositati
I Simboli della Discordia blog (as well live coverage on their Facebook account): https://www.isimbolidelladiscordia.it/2024/04/elezioni-europee-2024-i-simboli-uno-per.html

Turnout data/Results page for Basilicata regional election: https://elezioni.interno.gov.it/regionali/votanti/20240421/votantiRI17

[MRCVzla]

Polls have been closed in Basilicata, turnout seems below 50%.
Instant poll by Yoodata (released by regional network TeleNorba):
Vito Bardi (CDX) 53-57%
Piero Marrese (CSX+M5S) 41-45%
Eustachio Follia (Volt) 1-3%

At Viminale, 38 symbols have been deposited so far for the European election, with only 40 minutes to go, PD is the only big party missing, probably just less than 1/3 of the presented symbols will actualy make it at the ballots in June.

[MRCVzla]

99.4 % of the precincts counted (678/682)
Bardi (CDX) 56.6%
Marrese (CSX) 42.2%
Follia (Volt) 1.2%

List votes
FdI 17.4%
FI 13.0%
Lega 7.8%
Azione 7.5%
Orgoglio Lucano 7.0%
UDC-DC-Popolari Uniti 2.6%
La Vera Basilicata 2.2%

PD 13.9%
Basilicata Casa Comune 11.2%
M5S 7.6%
AVS-PSI-La Basilicata Possibile 5.8%
Basilicata Unita 2.9%

Volt Basilicata 1.1%

Otherwise, the final number of electoral symbols presented for the upcoming EP election is 42 (7 less respect to 2019). At the end, PD symbol presented almost at the deadline didn't include Elly Schlein' name and put a tiny PSE/PES logo on their regular symbol. Only around 11-12 lists are guaranteed to be on the ballot due to having a parliamentary group (FdI, Lega, FI-NM, PD, M5S, AVS, Azione, USE) or being elected a MP (Cateno's Liberty) or being part of a linguistic minority group (South Tyrol's SVP or some regionalists from Aosta Valley), most likely Rizzo/Toscano's populist DSP or Michele Santoro-led Peace Earth Dignity left-wing list will collect enough signatures to run in all five constituencies. Lists specially the ones related to FdI, Lega or M5S (with ongoing primaries) should be known in the next days. Letizia Moratti is running on FI lists meanwhile in AVS among the listheaders is the imprisoned activist in Hungary Ilaria Salis or former Roma mayor Ignazio Marino.