Italians set to vote for PD leadership
Print Edition
Supporters of Italy鈥檚 fractured center-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) are set to choose a new leader who they hope can take on the ruling populist coalition led by the far-right Lega.
The PD was left reeling and languishing in the polls since the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the anti-immigrant Lega won power in elections and formed a government in June of last year.
The three leadership candidates are little known internationally, with Nicola Zingaretti, who has been compared to Britain鈥檚 Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn, the favorite to win.
Around 7,000 polling stations, including 150 abroad, are being staffed by 35,000 volunteers.
Zingaretti, 53, is currently the president of the Lazio region, which includes Rome, and is a founding member of the PD in 2007. He was a member of the European parliament and is a supporter of European federalism who has criticized austerity measures.
Roberto Giachetti, 57, is considered the closest candidate to former PD leader and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi鈥檚 more centrist free-market politics and was previously a member of the Radical and Green parties. He lost the Rome mayoral election to M5S鈥檚 Virginia Raggi in 2016.
The third candidate, Maurizio Martina, 40, was agriculture minister in the governments of Renzi and his PD successor, Paolo Gentiloni. He briefly took over as PD leader when Renzi stepped down last year.
The candidates have been using social media to try to get more than a million people out to vote. Those voting must sign a declaration of PD support and pay a fee of 2 euros (US$2.28).
A candidate can win outright with over 50 percent of the vote, or a party conference on March 17 will choose between the top two candidates.
All three candidates have excluded an alliance with the M5S, which won 220 seats in the lower house elections last year compared to the PD鈥檚 112.
The left is finding its feet again, bringing tens of thousands onto the streets of Milan on Saturday for an anti-racism demonstration.
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