Local Elections in Trento Favor Center-Left Parties Once More

TRENTO - All-night Vote-a-thon in Trentino-Alto Adige as 265 municipalities renew mayors and city councils, with Trento and Bolzano, currently controlled by the center-left, seeing six contenders.

Albeit preliminary, it appears that Franco Ianeselli, the incumbent mayor of Trento, is set to win another term. He leads by more than 54%, outpacing the center-right's Ilaria Goio by a substantial 28 points. In contrast, Bolzano's outcome remains uncertain, with a runoff scheduled for May 18th. The front-runner is the center-right candidate Claudio Corrarati, garnering 36.3% of the votes, just edging out the current PD assessor Juri Andriollo (27.3%).

SHRINKING TURNOUT

One inescapable observation is the drop in turnout. The single voting day (formerly two) on a holiday weekend may have played a role. In Bolzano, only 52.16% of voters showed up, compared to 60.65% in 2020 when elections were held over two days. The decline was even steeper in Trento, where voter turnout fell by 11% to 49.93%.

At the provincial level, Alto Adige witnessed a 62.9% turnout, contrasting with the 65.4% in 2020's municipal elections. The drop was more noticeable in Trentino, with a 54.53% voter turnout, nearly 10% short of the 64.08% recorded in the last elections.

Highs of over 90% were observed in some municipalities, such as Vignola Falesina, yet others struggled to reach 30%. The lowest turnouts were in Novaledo and Samone, with 26.17% and 27.32% respectively.

UNIVOCAL MUNICIPALITIES

Despite the low turnout, 84 out of 85 uncontested municipalities in Trentino reached the quorum. Fifteen of these were female mayoral candidates. Unfortunately, Cimone failed to meet the quorum, leaving it under administration.

IANESELLI RE-ELECTED IN TRENTO

Franco Ianeselli secured his re-election as mayor of Trento, thanks to a broad center-left coalition. By 6:45 am on May 5th, with 93 out of 98 sections counted, he garnered 54.53% of the votes, leaving Ilaria Goio, backed by the center-right, in the dust at 26.66%.

Giulia Bortolotti (Onda, M5S and Rifondazione Comunista), Claudio Geat, Andrea Demarchi, Simonetta Gabrielli, and other contenders followed suit.

BOLZANO FACES RUNOFF

Bolzano is heading for a runoff on May 18th. The center-right’s Claudio Corrarati leads with 36.3% of the votes versus Juri Andriollo, the outgoing PD assessor, who stands at 27.3%.

Corrarati, a former Cna president, enjoys the potential support of the Svp, which should facilitate the runoff. Svp's Stephan Konder is in third place with 15.1%, followed by regional councilor Angelo Gennarcaro (La Civica) at 12.5%, Matthias Cologna (Team K) with 6.8%, and Simonetta Lucchi (M5s-Rifondazione) with 2%.

If Corrarati prevails, he would be the first center-right mayor of Bolzano since Giovanni Benussi, who squeaked in by seven votes in 20XX, but was eventually forced to resign due to council majority issues.

"First of all, we must thank the Bolzano voters for this amazing result that puts us, for the first time in twenty years, clearly ahead as a center-right coalition," Corrarati expressed afterward. "If the data holds, it would be an historic result, reflecting the desire for change among Bolzano voters, which can be definitively realized on May 18th through their vote," he added, expressing gratitude to the voters and encouraging them to "continue working together to change our beloved Bolzano" and "believe in the project, even those who voted for other candidates."

Challenger Andriollo has already started contemplating alliances, stating, "Looking ahead to the runoff we must win, we will focus on convincing voters and getting those who didn't vote in this first round, nearly 50% of eligible voters, to the polls."

Note: Influenced by recent political developments, Minister Roberto Calderoli actively campaigned for Bolzano's mayoral candidate Claudio Corrarati. However, electoral results specific to the mayoral elections in Trento and Bolzano during this period require further confirmation from official sources.

Additionally, potential reforms to Trentino-Alto Adige’s special autonomy (expected to conclude by 2026) may have subtly impacted voter engagement dynamics, but further research is needed to confirm this hypothesis.

The average voter turnout in the Trentino-Alto Adige region decreased this year, with Trento seeing a drastic drop of 11% compared to the previous elections.
Despite the low turnout, most municipalities in Trentino, including 84 out of 85 uncontested ones, still managed to meet the quorum.
In contrast to Trento, the center-right candidate Claudio Corrarati leads in the Bolzano mayoral race, but a runoff election is necessary due to the close margin, with only a 9-point difference between Corrarati and the outgoing PD assessor Juri Andriollo.
Franco Ianeselli, the incumbent mayor of Trento, was re-elected with a significant margin, leading his closest competitor, Ilaria Goio, by more than 28 points. This victory was achieved through a broad center-left coalition.