The Italian opposition left in Rome achieved a clear victory in the regional elections in Tuscany held on Monday, thus reaffirming its traditional dominance in the region.

Incumbent regional president Eugenio Giani from the Democratic Party was re-elected after receiving about 56% of the votes, while the conservative camp secured around 39%, according to preliminary results.

However, Meloni’s party, Brothers of Italy, made a remarkable advance by nearly doubling its results compared to the previous elections, increasing its share from about 13.5% to 27%.

On the other hand, the biggest loser in the right-wing camp was the League party led by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, whose share dropped from 21.8% five years ago to less than 5%.

Thus, Eugenio Giani (66 years old), a democratic socialist, continues to lead the region for a new term. The right also failed last year in its attempt to elect the German-Italian director of the Florence museum, Eike Schmidt, as the city’s mayor.

The elections were held over two days – Sunday and Monday – amid a low turnout not exceeding 48%, the lowest in Tuscany’s history, out of about 3 million eligible voters.

Tuscany, with Florence as its capital, is one of the most prominent historical strongholds of the left in Italy, making this victory a setback for the right-wing government coalition led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, although her victory was expected after a series of electoral successes in other regions.

Italy is scheduled to hold seven regional elections this year, followed by votes in the Veneto, Campania, and Apulia regions on November 23 and 24, with the next national parliamentary elections set for 2027.