Apulian regional election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The Apulian regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.
The outgoing President Nichi Vendola
of Left Ecology Freedom (SEL) was elected for a second-consecutive term, after having won the a primary election in which he beat a Democrat
and having benefited from the split of the centre-right, whose two candidates jointly won 51.0% of the vote.
Vendola's party, SEL, had a strong showing in the Region by coming third with 9.7% of the vote, after The People of Freedom
(31.1%) and the Democratic Party (20.8%).
, who in 2005 surprisingly defeated a centrist in the centre-left primary election and then the outgoing President Raffaele Fitto
, is under attack by his own coalition. Vendola, a gay communist President in a fairly conservative region, will find hard to get re-election in a time when the centre-right led by Silvio Berlusconi
is ahead of the centre-left both in Apulia and the whole country. Moreover Vendola, after having left the Communist Refoundation Party
in early 2009, instead of joining the Democratic Party
(PD), the largest party of the centre-left, started a small outfit named Left and Freedom
and launched his bid.
The Democrats acknowledge that they need a larger coalition in order to beat the centre-right and they are thus trying to convince Vendola to give up his bid and to endorse a more centrist candidate that could obtain the support of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) and Adriana Poli Bortone
's South
movement. Michele Emiliano, Mayor of Bari
and PD regional leader, has been constantly mentioned as a possible candidate who may receive the support also of the UDC. For her part Poli Bortone may be interested in the race but her right-wing upbringing (she was a member of the Italian Social Movement
and of National Alliance
) would undoubtely stir the left.
In a succession of events between late December 2009 and January 2010, Emiliano turned against Vendola (whom he supported until then), asked his party's regional assembly to unanimously endorse him, the assembly of the party was suspended because of clashes between Emiliano and Vendola supporters, then Emiliano accepted to contest a primary election with Vendola and finally withdrew from the race, leaving the PD without a strong candidate.
Finally Vendola was chosen as candidate of the centre-left in a primary election on 25 January 2010. The People of Freedom
(PdL) of Berlusconi and Fitto subsequently chose Rocco Palese, leader of Forza Italia
–PdL group in the Regional Council and former Vice President of Fitto, while the UDC launched Poli Bortone.
On 25 January 2010 an unprecedented number of Apulian citizens turned out to vote in the primary and Vendola trounced Boccia in the primary, by winning over 62% of the votes cast.
Source: Nichi Vendola campaign website
Sources: Apulia Region and Corriere della Sera
The outgoing President Nichi Vendola
Nichi Vendola
Nicola "Nichi" Vendola is an Italian left-wing politician and currently the President of Apulia.-Life:Born in Terlizzi, province of Bari , Vendola had been a member of the Italian Communist Youth Federation since the age of 14; he studied literature in university, presenting a dissertation about...
of Left Ecology Freedom (SEL) was elected for a second-consecutive term, after having won the a primary election in which he beat a Democrat
Democratic Party (Italy)
The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election....
and having benefited from the split of the centre-right, whose two candidates jointly won 51.0% of the vote.
Vendola's party, SEL, had a strong showing in the Region by coming third with 9.7% of the vote, after The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system....
(31.1%) and the Democratic Party (20.8%).
Background
The incumbent left-wing president Nichi VendolaNichi Vendola
Nicola "Nichi" Vendola is an Italian left-wing politician and currently the President of Apulia.-Life:Born in Terlizzi, province of Bari , Vendola had been a member of the Italian Communist Youth Federation since the age of 14; he studied literature in university, presenting a dissertation about...
, who in 2005 surprisingly defeated a centrist in the centre-left primary election and then the outgoing President Raffaele Fitto
Raffaele Fitto
Raffaele Fitto is an Italian politician, current Minister for Regional Business in Berlusconi IV Cabinet.-Biography:Raffaele Fitto was born in Maglie, Province of Lecce. His father, Salvatore Fitto, who was an exponent of the Christian Democracy and President of Apulia from 1985, died in...
, is under attack by his own coalition. Vendola, a gay communist President in a fairly conservative region, will find hard to get re-election in a time when the centre-right led by Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
is ahead of the centre-left both in Apulia and the whole country. Moreover Vendola, after having left the Communist Refoundation Party
Communist Refoundation Party
The Communist Refoundation Party is a communist Italian political party. Its current secretary is Paolo Ferrero....
in early 2009, instead of joining the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Italy)
The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election....
(PD), the largest party of the centre-left, started a small outfit named Left and Freedom
Left and Freedom
Left Ecology Freedom is a socialist political party in Italy, originally founded as a left-wing coalition of parties...
and launched his bid.
The Democrats acknowledge that they need a larger coalition in order to beat the centre-right and they are thus trying to convince Vendola to give up his bid and to endorse a more centrist candidate that could obtain the support of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) and Adriana Poli Bortone
Adriana Poli Bortone
Adriana Poli Bortone is an Italian politician andwas an Alleanza Nazionale Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2008. She represented Southern Italy...
's South
South (Italy)
I the South , is a centrist regionalist political party in Italy.The party emerged in 2009 as an Apulian split from National Alliance led by Adriana Poli Bortone, shortly before AN was merged into The People of Freedom...
movement. Michele Emiliano, Mayor of Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
and PD regional leader, has been constantly mentioned as a possible candidate who may receive the support also of the UDC. For her part Poli Bortone may be interested in the race but her right-wing upbringing (she was a member of the Italian Social Movement
Italian Social Movement
The Italian Social Movement , and later the Italian Social Movement–National Right , was a neo-fascist and post-fascist political party in Italy. Formed in 1946 by supporters of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, the party became the fourth largest party in Italy by the early 1960s...
and of National Alliance
National Alliance (Italy)
National Alliance was a conservative political party in Italy.Gianfranco Fini was the leader of the party since its foundation in 1995, however he stepped down in 2008 after being elected to the nominally non-partisan post of President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and was succeeded by...
) would undoubtely stir the left.
In a succession of events between late December 2009 and January 2010, Emiliano turned against Vendola (whom he supported until then), asked his party's regional assembly to unanimously endorse him, the assembly of the party was suspended because of clashes between Emiliano and Vendola supporters, then Emiliano accepted to contest a primary election with Vendola and finally withdrew from the race, leaving the PD without a strong candidate.
Finally Vendola was chosen as candidate of the centre-left in a primary election on 25 January 2010. The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system....
(PdL) of Berlusconi and Fitto subsequently chose Rocco Palese, leader of Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
–PdL group in the Regional Council and former Vice President of Fitto, while the UDC launched Poli Bortone.
Centre-left primary election
After that Emiliano renounced his bid, the PD proposed Francesco Boccia as its candidate and the UDC endorsed him. However, as Vendola did not intend to withdraw from the race, the PD accepted to run a coalition primary election between Vendola and Boccia. This was a re-edition of the 2005 primary election, in which Boccia was narrowly defeated by Vendola.On 25 January 2010 an unprecedented number of Apulian citizens turned out to vote in the primary and Vendola trounced Boccia in the primary, by winning over 62% of the votes cast.
| Candidates | votes | votes (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Nichi Vendola Nichi Vendola Nicola "Nichi" Vendola is an Italian left-wing politician and currently the President of Apulia.-Life:Born in Terlizzi, province of Bari , Vendola had been a member of the Italian Communist Youth Federation since the age of 14; he studied literature in university, presenting a dissertation about... (SEL) |
137,521 | 67.2 |
| Francesco Boccia (PD Democratic Party (Italy) The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election.... ) |
66,991 | 32.8 |
| Total | 204,512 | 100.0 |
General election results
| Candidates & parties | votes | votes (%) | seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nichi Vendola Nichi Vendola Nicola "Nichi" Vendola is an Italian left-wing politician and currently the President of Apulia.-Life:Born in Terlizzi, province of Bari , Vendola had been a member of the Italian Communist Youth Federation since the age of 14; he studied literature in university, presenting a dissertation about... |
1,036,638 | 48.7 | 46 |
| Democratic Party Democratic Party (Italy) The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election.... |
410,395 | 20.8 | 23 |
| Left Ecology Freedom–Socialist Party | 192,604 | 9.7 | 11 |
| Italy of Values Italy of Values Italy of Values is a centrist, populist and anti-corruption political party in Italy. The party, which is affiliated to the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party , is headed by former Mani pulite prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro, who entered politics in 1996.The party aims to gather and give... |
127,865 | 6.5 | 6 |
| Apulia for Vendola | 109,412 | 5.5 | 6 |
| Federation of the Left Federation of the Left Federation of the Left is a communist coalition of political parties in Italy.The coalition is the evolution of the Anticapitalist List and includes:*Communist Refoundation Party... –Greens Federation of the Greens The Federation of the Greens is a green political party in Italy, which includes also a large eco-socialist faction. Since 2009 the party leader is Angelo Bonelli.-Early years:... |
64,441 | 3.3 | - |
| others | 6,005 | 0.3 | - |
| Rocco Palese | 899,590 | 42.3 | 26 |
| The People of Freedom The People of Freedom The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system.... |
615,064 | 31.1 | 20 |
| Apulia First Apulia First Apulia First is a regionalist-centrist political party in Italy active in Apulia.The party was lanched in 2005 as a civic list in support of Raffaele Fitto, the outgoing President of the Region of Forza Italia... |
139,379 | 7.1 | 4 |
| Apulians for Palese | 95,070 | 4.8 | 2 |
| others | 24,949 | 1.3 | - |
| Adriana Poli Bortone Adriana Poli Bortone Adriana Poli Bortone is an Italian politician andwas an Alleanza Nazionale Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2008. She represented Southern Italy... |
185,370 | 8.7 | 4 |
| Union of the Centre | 128,542 | 6.5 | 4 |
| I the South | 57,901 | 2.9 | - |
| Others | 7,376 | 0.4 | - |
| others | 5,834 | 0.3 | - |
| Total | 2,128,974 | 100.0 | 76 |
Sources: Apulia Region and Corriere della Sera