The Lazio regional election of 2010 took place in Lazio, Italy, on 28–29 March 2010.
Piero Marrazzo of the Democratic Party (PD), who was elected President in 2005, seemed a strong candidate for the centre-left in 2010, being the most popular of the possible candidates and the winner in most head-to-head contests with leading centre-right figures. However, an abrupt scandal invested him in October 2009 and finally led to his dramatic resignation.
After that, the candidate of The People of Freedom (PdL) seemed a shoo-in for victory. As Lazio had been a traditional stronghold of Fini's National Alliance party, that merged into the PdL as junior partner of Berlusconi's Forza Italia in 2007, Renata Polverini, supported by Gianfranco Fini, was chosen. Polverini, a woman, was a strange choice for a centre-right party as she was the respected leader of the General Labour Union (UGL), a trade union close to the former National Alliance but independent from it, and a self-proclaimed "socialist", so that she was praised by left-wingers, including the popular newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, and criticized by a right-wing newspaper, Il Giornale, that refused to endorse her.
After that, the list of the PdL was disqualified from participating in the election in the Province of Rome, that accounted for four-fifths of the total electorate of Lazio, the election was fairly uncertain, with Bonino in the lead according to some opinion polls.
Despite this, on election day, Polverini beat Bonino in hard-fought battle thanks to a 3.7% swing.
Results + Candidates Votes % Seats Parties Votes % Seats rowspan=11 Renata Polverini1,409,02551.1415 Polverini List646,77426.3615 The People of Freedom291,19911.877 Union of the Centre150,2936.133 The Right97,1863.962 UDEUR21,1200.86– Alliance of the Centre17,3750.71– Network Liberal Sgarbi15,5370.63– The People of Life – The Voice of Consumers12,5310.51– Pensioners' Party8,0790.33–Total1,260,09451.3727 rowspan=10 Emma Bonino1,331,37548.321 Democratic Party645,18726.3015 Italy of Values211,5618.625 Bonino-Pannella List80,9823.302 Left Ecology Freedom77,1343.142 Federation of the Left67,3862.751 Citizens for Bonino40,0971.631 Italian Socialist Party33,1601.351 Federation of the Greens29,7251.211Total1,185,23248.3128 Marzia Marzoli14,6850.53– Citizens' Network7,8600.32– Total candidates2,755,085100.0016Total parties2,453,186100.0055 Source: Ministry of the Interior
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