Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s party was locked in battle on Sunday for control of Rome and other cities in municipal elections seen as a test for the ruling party and the country’s divided right. / AFP PHOTO /
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Five key facts about the election of Rome’s new mayor on Sunday:
A woman at last
Every king, consul, emperor and pope who has run Rome since it was founded two and a half millennia ago has been male: that looks set to change with Virginia Raggi the runaway favourite to be the next mayor.
Female mayors club
Raggi headed the first round with 35 percent of votes, well ahead of run-off rival Roberto Giachetti (24 percent). If she wins she will join a female club that includes the mayors of Barcelona, Cape Town, Madrid, Paris and Santiago, Chile.
Huge job
Running Italy’s capital is a major challenge: the city is 12 billion euros ($13.5 billion) in debt, 40 percent of its streets have potholes, transport and refuse services have been cut to the bone.
Corruption challenge
One of Raggi’s biggest challenges, if elected, will be rooting out corruption from City Hall. Revelations in late 2014 indicated the administration had been infiltrated by organised crime.
Easy act to follow?
Rome’s last mayor, Ignazio Marino, was forced to quit last October after being cut free by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi over a minor expenses issue. Whoever replaces him will have a honeymoon period but it may not last long.
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