2021 Bologna municipal election

Election in Bologna

The municipal elections in Bologna took place on 3 and 4 October 2021. The incumbent Mayor of Bologna was Virginio Merola of Democratic Party, who won the 2016 Bologna municipal election. The centre-left candidate Matteo Lepore won in a landslide with 62% of votes, becoming the most voted mayor since the introduction of direct elections in 1995.^[1]

Electoral system

The voting system is used for all mayoral elections in Italy, in the cities with a population higher than 15,000 inhabitants. Under this system, voters express a direct choice for the mayor or an indirect choice voting for the party of the candidate's coalition. If no candidate receives 50% of votes during the first round, the top two candidates go to a second round after two weeks. The winning candidate obtains a majority bonus equal to 60% of seats. During the first round, if no candidate gets more than 50% of votes but a coalition of lists gets the majority of 50% of votes or if the mayor is elected in the first round but its coalition gets less than 40% of the valid votes, the majority bonus cannot be assigned to the coalition of the winning mayor candidate.

The election of the City Council is based on a direct choice for the candidate with a maximum of two preferential votes, each for a different gender, belonging to the same party list: the candidate with the majority of the preferences is elected. The number of the seats for each party is determined proportionally, using D'Hondt seat allocation. Only coalitions with more than 3% of votes are eligible to get any seats.^[2]

Background

Centre-left primary election

Endorsements

Matteo Lepore

• Anna Ascani (PD), current Vicepresident of the Democratic Party (2019–today) and Undersecretary for Economic Development (2021–today)
• Stefano Bonaccini (PD), current President of Emilia-Romagna (2014–today)^[5]
• Emily Marion Clancy (SI), municipal councillor for Bologna (2016–today)^[6]
• Giuseppe Conte (M5S), former Prime Minister (2018–2021)
• Valentina Cuppi (PD), current President of the Democratic Party (2020–today), mayor of Marzabotto (2019–today)
• Andrea De Maria (PD), Member of the Chamber of Deputies (2013–today), mayor of Marzabotto (1995–2004)^[7]
• Vasco Errani (Art.1), former President of Emilia-Romagna (1999–2014)
• Cathy La Torre (Independent), lawyer and LGBT activist, municipal councillor for Bologna (2011–2016)^[8]
• Nicola Fratoianni (SI), current Secretary of Italian Left (2017–2019; 2021–today)^[9]
• Enrico Letta (PD), current Secretary of the Democratic Party (2021–today) and former Prime Minister (2013–2014)^[10]
• Virginio Merola (PD), current Mayor of Bologna (2011–today)^[11]
• Dario Nardella (PD), current Mayor of Florence (2014–today)^[12]
• Romano Prodi (Independent), former Prime Minister (1996–1998; 2006–2008)^[13]
• Peppe Provenzano (PD), current Deputy secretary of the Democratic Party (2021–today) and former Minister for Territorial Cohesion (2019–2021)^[14]
• Mattia Santori (Independent), leader of the Sardines movement^[15]
• Elly Schlein (GI), current Vicepresident of Emilia-Romagna (2020–today)^[16]
• Nicola Zingaretti (PD), President of Lazio (2013–today) and former Secretary of the Democratic Party (2019–2021)^[14]

Isabella Conti

• Alberto Aitini (PD), municipal assessor for Bologna (2016–today)^[17]
• Mauro Felicori (Independent), regional assessor of Culture (2020–today)^[18]
• Gian Luca Galletti (CpE), Minister of Environment (2014–2018), member of the Chamber of Deputies (2006–2013)^[19]
• Elisabetta Gualmini (PD), Member of the European Parliament (2019–today)^[20]
• Marco Lombardo (PD), municipal assessor for Bologna (2016–today)^[21]
• Matteo Renzi (IV), member of the Senate of the Republic (2018–today), former Prime Minister (2014–2016)^[22]
• Giampiero Veronesi (PD), Mayor of Anzola dell'Emilia (2014–today)^[23]

Parties and candidates

This is a list of the parties (and their respective leaders) which will participate in the election.^[24]

Opinion polls

Candidates

Parties

Results

Notes: if a defeated candidate for Mayor obtained over 3% of votes, he/she is automatically elected communal councilor (Battistini); see Italian electoral law of 1993 for Comuni. The candidate elected Mayor is not a member of communal council, but Merola votes in the communal council (see Italian electoral law 1993).

See also

• 2021 Italian local elections

References

1. Elezioni 2021: Lepore vince a Bologna con una percentuale travolgente, ANSA
2. "Ministero dell'Interno – Approfondimento". Ministero dell'Interno (in Italian). Retrieved 17 July 2020.
3. "Comunali Bologna, Matteo Lepore: "Mi candido, voglio essere un sindaco di strada tra la gente"" (in Italian). BolognaToday. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
4. "Comunali, "Anche tu Conti". La sindaca di San Lazzaro sfida Lepore alle primarie" (in Italian). BolognaToday. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
5. "Comunali, Lepore raggiunge le firme per le primarie: "Oltre 1.500 sottoscrizioni in tre giorni"" (in Italian). bolognatoday.it. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
6. "Primarie Bologna 2021, Conti: "Raccolte 1.500 firme". Coalizione civica sta con Lepore" (in Italian). Il Resto del Carlino. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
7. "Comunali 2021, svolta nel Pd: De Maria sostiene Lepore". BolognaToday (in Italian). 10 March 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
8. "Comunali Bologna, Cathy La Torre: "Avrei voluto sfidare Lepore, ma scelgo di stargli accanto"" (in Italian). bolognatoday.it. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
9. "Accordo Lepore-Clancy, Fratoianni: "Facciamoli vincere, Bologna può diventare la capitale dell'innovazione sociale"" (in Italian). BolognaToday. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
10. "Primarie Bologna, Letta appoggia Lepore" (in Italian). Il Resto del Carlino. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
11. "Elezioni sindaco 2021, endorsement Merola per Lepore: "Ha i numeri giusti"". BolognaToday (in Italian). 19 March 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
12. "Primarie, il "renziano" Dario Nardella sceglie Lepore: "Forza Matteo, ti aspetto a Firenze da sindaco"". La Repubblica (in Italian). 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
13. "Prodi: "Io al Quirinale? Non è il mio mestiere, mai super partes. Sconfissi Berlusconi perché non mi prese sul serio"" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
14. "Elezioni Primarie, Pd: i big spingono Lepore. Letta: "Un ottimo sindaco"" (in Italian). Il Resto del Carlino. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
15. "Primarie centrosinistra a Bologna, la Sardina Mattia Santori: "Isabella Conti dovrebbe stracciare la tessera di Italia Viva, la stimo ma personalmente voterò Lepore"" (in Italian). La7. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
16. "Bologna, primarie centrosinistra: Coalizione Civica e Coraggiosa sostengono Matteo Lepore" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
17. "Primarie Bologna 2021, siluro di Aitini: "Sto con Isabella Conti"". Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 7 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
18. "Primarie Bologna, l'endorsement dell'assessore Felicori: "Voto Isabella Conti"". La Repubblica (in Italian). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
19. "Comunali Bologna, i centristi Tonelli e Galletti riaprono a sinistra: "Isabella Conti novità importante"". La Repubblica (in Italian). 15 April 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
20. "Altro che Roma e Torino, le primarie più interessanti sono a Bologna" (in Italian). La Nazione. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
21. "Conti-Lepore: la sindaca di San Lazzaro incassa l'appoggio di Lombardo. Pd invoca libertà di voto". BolognaToday (in Italian). 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
22. Bologna, Matteo Renzi candida Isabella Conti per le amministrative, Corriere di Bologna
23. ""Sostengo Conti, per lei farei volantinaggio"". incronaca.unibo.it (in Italian). 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
24. Maestri, Pubblicato da Gabriele. "Bologna, simboli e curiosità sulla scheda". Retrieved 2021-09-25.