Puglia Elections 2024: 54 Towns to Vote for Mayors & Councils
- Fifty-four municipalities across the Puglia region are preparing to hold elections for mayor and municipal councils on Sunday, May 24th and Monday, May 25th.
- Andria and Trani, both located in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, are the only provincial capitals heading to the polls.
- In seventeen municipalities with populations above the 15,000 threshold, the electoral system will utilize a two-round majority system.
Puglia to Hold Local Elections for 54 Municipalities in May and June
Fifty-four municipalities across the Puglia region are preparing to hold elections for mayor and municipal councils on Sunday, May 24th and Monday, May 25th. Any required run-off elections, for municipalities with populations exceeding 15,000 inhabitants, will take place two weeks later, on Sunday, June 7th and Monday, June 8th. The dates were officially announced by Italy’s Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi.
Andria and Trani, both located in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, are the only provincial capitals heading to the polls. Among the other significant contests are those in Molfetta, Corato, Modugno, and Conversano (in the Metropolitan City of Bari), as well as Casarano, Gallipoli, Maglie, and Tricase (in the province of Lecce). Mesagne, Ceglie Messapica, and San Vito dei Normanni in the province of Brindisi, and Manduria in the province of Taranto, will also be electing new leadership.
In seventeen municipalities with populations above the 15,000 threshold, the electoral system will utilize a two-round majority system. A change in electoral procedure will affect the municipalities of Laterza (Taranto) and Latiano (Brindisi), which, having fallen below the 15,000 inhabitant mark, will elect their mayors in a single round.
The upcoming elections follow the 2024 Italian local elections held in June of last year, alongside European elections and regional elections in Piedmont. Those elections saw run-off rounds held on June 23rd and 24th. The 2025 elections are being closely watched as a potential indicator of shifting political currents within the region.
In Puglia, 61 municipalities went to the polls in 2024, with 12 having populations exceeding 15,000. In Bari, Vito Leccese of the Democratic Party (PD) was elected mayor after a run-off, succeeding Antonio Decaro, also of the PD. Giovanni Mastrangelo of Brothers of Italy (FdI) was re-elected in Gioia del Colle. Michele Vinella, running as an independent, won the mayoral race in Putignano. Giuseppe Valenzano of the PD secured his position as mayor of Rutigliano. Vincenzo Luciano Casone, an independent candidate, was elected mayor of Santeramo in Colle.
Further south, Toni Matarrelli, also running as an independent, was re-elected as mayor of Mesagne. Domenico La Marca, an independent, won the mayoral election in Manfredonia, while Filippo Barbano, another independent candidate, was elected mayor of San Giovanni Rotondo. Lidya Colangelo, running as an independent, was elected mayor of San Severo.
The elections in Puglia are taking place as other regions are also settling into new administrations. A report highlighted a delay in finalizing results in Puglia compared to regions like Veneto and Campania, attributing the lag to errors and inaccuracies during the initial counting process. This necessitated a lengthy and complex verification of minutes by the constituency sections of the six Apulian courts to certify the election results.
Recent analysis suggests that mayors supported by far-right parties in Italy have significantly reduced welfare spending for immigrants and refugees, a trend that could influence the political landscape as voters head to the polls.