Italians Go To Polls In Municipal Runoff Elections

ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2021) Italians are voting in a second round of municipal polls to elect mayors of 65 major cities where an indecisive first round led to a runoff.

Tops jobs in some 1,100 cities and towns were up for grabs in the first round, although all eyes were on the capital Rome and the iconic cities of Milan, Naples and Bologna in the October 3-4 elections.

Center-left parties claimed mayoral offices in the three regional capitals but Rome where none of the candidates secured 50% of the vote plus one.

The runoff will see the focus shift to Turin and Trieste, in addition to Rome. Rome's center-right mayoral candidate Enrico Michetti will compete with Roberto Gualtieri of the center-left Democratic Party.

More than 12 million Italians are eligible to cast ballots. Polls opened at 7 a.m. (5:00 GMT) and will close at 3 p.m. on Monday. The voting is largely expected to change Italy's political landscape.