Rome municipal election, 2001

Rome municipal election, 2001

May 13 and 27, 2001
Candidate Walter Veltroni Antonio Tajani Party Democrats of the Left Forza Italia Popular vote 800,660 747,169 Percentage 48.4% 45.1% Popular vote (2nd) 871,930 799,363 Percentage (2nd) 52.2% 47.8%
Mayor before election Francesco Rutelli Greens Elected Mayor Walter Veltroni Democrats of the Left

Municipal elections were held in Rome on 13 and 27 May 2001, at the same time as Italian general elections. The outgoing Mayor of Rome, Francesco Rutelli (Greens), was candidate in the general elections, so he resigned in January. The center-right candidate Antonio Tajani, was faced by the center-left candidate Walter Veltroni who was chosen to head his coalition.

Control of the 19 municipi of the Italian capital was also to be decided in the elections. The municipi were born on 19 January 2001 and replaced the old 12 circoscrizioni, born in 1966. 59 councillors were due to be elected in the City Council.

As a result of the election, Walter Veltroni was elected on the 2nd round. The center-left controls 36 seats against for the center-right.

Background

Following the end of the XIV Italian Legislature, Rutelli led the center-left coalition into the May 2001 general election and resigned as Mayor of Rome on 8 January 2001, two days after the end of the Great Jubilee on which he had spent all his second term, to concentrate on the campaign.

Mayoral election

The center-right coalition was led by Antonio Tajani (Forza Italia), who was heavily defeatd by Rutelli in 1997; Tajani rejected a formal alliance with the far-right party and preferred a liberal-conservative coalition like the one which supported Silvio Berlusconi in the general election.

The center-left coalition was led by the former Deputy Prime Minister Walter Veltroni, who has been Minister of Culpture during the first Prodi Cabinet (1996–1998).

Voting System

The voting system is used for all mayoral elections in Italy, in the city with a population higher than 15,000 nhabintants. Under this system voters express a direct choice for the mayor or an indirect choice voting for the party of the candidate's coalition. If no candidate receives 50% of votes, the top two candidates go to a second round after two weeks. This gives a result whereby the winning candidate may be able to claim majority support, although it is not guaranteed.

For municipi the voting system is the same, not referred to the mayor but to the president of the municipio.

The election of the City Council is based on a direct choice for the candidate with a preference vote: the candidate with the majority of the preferences is elected. The number of the seats for each party is determined proportionally.

Results