In the Sicilian capital the PD mayor triumphs in the first round. Strong result for Pizzarotti in Parma, centre-right ahead in Genoa and Verona. Turnout at 60 per cent.
Leoluca Orlando is confirmed as mayor of Palermo, while in the other three regional capitals and in all the other major cities voters will have to return to the polls in two weeks' time for run-offs: in most cases the contest will be between the centre-left candidate (Partito Democratico + Movimento Democratico e Progressista) and the centre-right candidate (Forza Italia + Lega and Fratelli d'Italia), except in Parma and Verona. This is the picture emerging from the exit polls in the first round of the local elections (see the updated count from the Interior Ministry) covering more than a thousand Italian municipalities, including 25 provincial capitals, for a total of 9 million voters. Turnout was 60.7 per cent.
Aside from the only definitive result (Orlando, backed by the centre-left, took 46 per cent of the vote — a threshold sufficient for first-round election under Sicilian electoral law, whereas in other regions 50 per cent is required), the other standout element is the collapse of the Movimento 5 Stelle, which failed to reach the run-off in the main cities: in Genoa, Beppe Grillo's home city, the run-off will be between Gianni Crivello (centre-left, 33.4 per cent) and Marco Bucci (centre-right, 38.7 per cent); in Verona between Federico Sboarina (centre-right, 29.3) and Patrizia Bisinella of Fare (23.6); while in Parma Federico Pizzarotti (34.7), the outgoing mayor and former Five Star member, is clearly ahead but will nonetheless go to a run-off against Paolo Scarpa (32.8) of the centre-left.
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Catanzaro is the only large municipality where the centre-right mayoral candidate Sergio Abramo finished clearly in front: here too the contest in two weeks' time will be against the centre-left's Vincenzo Ciconte. L'Aquila, finally, will return to the polls in two weeks to choose between Americo Di Benedetto (left) and Pierluigi Biondi (right).
