The far right hopes to snatch fiefdoms from the left in Italy's regionals

• Coronavirus: Italy votes a referendum and regional elections in the middle of a pandemic

The Italian extreme right hopes this Monday to seize regions in the hands of the left, including Tuscany,

, whose loss would affect the credibility of the government.

The vote began on Sunday morning and ends this Monday at 3:00 p.m.

It is carried out following a strict security protocol due to the increase in new cases of coronavirus in the country for seven weeks.

The fear of contagions has not slowed down the participation of Italians in the voting, according to Italian newspapers.

At 23:00 on Sunday, participation in the referendum had been 39.38%, according to data from the Interior Ministry, while in the last referendum in 2016 -which led to the resignation of Matteo Renzi as head of Government due to the result against his proposal to withdraw the legislative function of the Senate- 68.48% participated.

In regional elections, on average, turnout at 11pm on Sunday was 41.37%, according to the Interior Ministry.

"

" is the headline chosen by the Italian newspapers

,

,

and

.

Six regions - four held by the left (Tuscany, Campania, Apulia and Marche) and two by the right (Liguria and Veneto) - elect their presidents.

government

, which must present in Brussels its national reactivation plan against the pandemic, will survive regardless of the outcome of the elections, which will be known on Monday night.

Italy is governed by a coalition formed a year ago between the 5 Star Movement (M5S, anti-establishment) and the Democratic Party (PD, center-left).

Before it stands a

with unique candidates and possibilities to seize left-wing regions.

"The left has neglected its history"

A catastrophic scenario for the government would be for

currently held by the left (Campania seems out of the woods).

The right already runs 13 Italian regions and the left 6, so regional elections could significantly change the political landscape.

Tuscany is highly coveted, both by the president of the League (far right) Matteo Salvini and the former head of government Matteo Renzi (by the Democratic Party), who has been trying to resurrect politically for a year with his formation, Italia Viva.

Susanna Ceccardi, a 33-year-old La Liga MEP, was chosen to take over this stronghold of the left.

In front of her, the Tuscan Renzi has imposed his candidate Eugenio Giani (PD / Italia Viva), who also faces an isolated candidacy of the M5S.

A defeat in Tuscany, a region known for its good performance and hitherto little inclined to populism, would also affect Nicola Zingaretti, chairman of the Democratic Party, analysts estimate.

"Times have changed. The left has neglected its own history, its roots, its base", considers Roberto Bianchi, professor of contemporary history at the University of Florence.

The right wing has been carrying out an offensive on the ground for years to seize medium-sized Tuscan cities.

"Choose the change" proclaims with a big smile on the posters Susanna Ceccardi, who already won a mayoralty four years ago for the League.

Rivalry between the far right

The regional elections could become a popularity contest among the tenors of the extreme right.

In Apulia and Marche, the right-wing coalition has chosen the candidates of the Brothers of Italy (far right) to lead the assault.

Francesco Acquaroli, criticized last year for having

, is running for a region of Marche that has never been in the hands of the right.

In Apulia, the Brothers of Italy MEP Raffaele Fitto was already regional president 15 years ago.

He faces a candidate from the PD, another from Italia Viva and one from M5S.

The head of the Brothers of Italy is Giorgia Meloni, whose popularity has increased in the polls and who, in the event of a double victory for his candidates, would take the opportunity to eclipse his rival Matteo Salvini.

In Veneto, the re-election of the current president (of the League) Luca Zaia does not seem to be in danger.

The right is also expected to keep Liguria,

On the other hand, the small region of Valle d'Aosta renews its regional advisers, because the outgoing team has been implicated in an investigation into mafia infiltration of the 'Ndrangheta (Calabrian mafia) during the 2018 regional elections.

Referendum

The referendum that asks Italians

as of the next legislature (400 in the Chamber of Deputies and 200 in the Senate)

has also been voted this weekend

, a project defended by the anti-system Movimiento 5 Estrellas (M5S).

Everything indicates that this electoral promise of the M5S will come true, which would mean a

, whose formation, however, could suffer a setback in the regional elections

The constitutional consultation and regional elections should have been held in the first half of the year but have been delayed until now due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Italy has applied a series of measures to prevent contagion, such as the mandatory use of masks and gels, respect for the distance of at least one and a half meters between people inside schools, or differentiated exits and entrances.

Inpatients are also allowed to vote in hospitals and those who are at home in isolation because they are also positive can do so at home.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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