Messina’s centre-left candidate Elena Basile crushes rivals in mayoral race, securing over 50% in first-round victory
Elena Basile, the centre-left candidate backed by outgoing Messina mayor Cateno De Luca, has won the city’s mayoral election in a landslide, polling over 50% of the vote and defeating both centre-right and traditional centre-left opponents in the first round. Early projections from exit polls and partial results confirm Basile’s commanding lead, with her "Sud chiama Nord" coalition—aligned with De Luca’s independent movement—dominating the race .
Basile’s victory marks a consolidation of De Luca’s political influence in Sicily, following his own shift from Messina’s mayoralty to Taormina in 2023. The result underscores the waning grip of Italy’s traditional centre-left Democratic Party (PD) in the region, as Basile—formerly a diplomat with no prior party affiliation—ran under a localist banner rather than the PD’s official ticket. Her triumph contrasts sharply with the PD’s struggles elsewhere, including in Reggio Calabria, where the centre-right candidate Francesco Cannizzaro ousted the party after 12 years in power .
Nationally, the 2026 local elections reveal a mixed picture for the centre-left. While Basile’s win in Messina and Vincenzo De Luca’s fifth-term victory in Salerno—where he secured 56-60% of the vote despite his strained ties with the PD—highlight pockets of resilience, the centre-right has made significant gains. Exit polls show the centre-right leading in Venice and Arezzo, with Reggio Calabria’s loss to Cannizzaro adding to the PD’s setbacks. Voter turnout dipped by five percentage points compared to previous elections, reflecting broader disengagement .
In Tuscany, the centre-left holds Prato but faces a runoff in Arezzo, where the centre-right leads. The results suggest a shifting political landscape, with localist movements like De Luca’s and Basile’s outperforming traditional parties in key strongholds, while the centre-right capitalizes on discontent in historically left-leaning cities. The outcome sets the stage for next year’s regional elections, where Sicily and Calabria will be critical battlegrounds.