Five Star’s Advances in Rome Threaten Renzi’s Referendum Plan
- Lawyer Virginia Raggi takes 10-point lead into Sunday’s runoff
- Results could threaten prime minister’s goal of October vote
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A rebellion against Italy’s scandal-plagued elite could hand Rome’s city hall to the populist Five Star Movement on Sunday, casting doubt over Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s attempts to fix the country’s political system.
Virginia Raggi, 37, a lawyer and former opposition counselor, is poised to become the capital’s first female mayor and score the biggest victory so far for the anti-establishment, euro-skeptic Five Star group. Raggi led in the first round on June 5 with 35 percent of the vote, 10 percentage points more than Roberto Giachetti of Renzi’s Democratic Party or PD, who she faces in the run off. Mayors will also be elected in cities including Milan, Turin and Naples.