Elections in Naples

Democratic elections have been held in Naples, Italy, since the collapse of Benito Mussolini's fascist regime. Today, all residents of Naples who are at least 18 years old and hold an EU citizenship are eligible to vote for the mayor and the 48 members of the city council.[1] They also vote for the president and the 30 or 40 members of the municipal council in which they reside.

Since 1993, Italian mayors are elected directly. In the cities with a population higher than 15,000, voters can choose for a candidate for mayor and/or for a party or civic list that is not necessarily linked to the same mayor-candidate (panachage or voto disgiunto). If no candidate receives an absolute majority, the top two candidates go to a runoff election (ballottaggio) after two weeks. The city council and municipal council elections are based on a proportional system with preferences: for each list, the candidates with the most preferences are elected proportionally to the seats assigned to the list, with the lists supporting the elected mayor being granted around 60% of the total seats to guarantee stability.

Elections are normally scheduled every five years, usually between 15 April and 15 June. The last election was held in June 2016.

Italian Republic (since 1946)

City council election, 1946

The first democratic election after the fall of fascism took place on 10 November 1946.

After the Liberation of Naples in August 1943, Independent lawyer Giuseppe Solimene had been appointed as Provisional Mayor by the National Liberation Committee under approval of the United Nations military government. Between 1943 and 1946 the office had been filled by politicians from centre-left minor parties such as the liberal-socialist Action Party and the social-democratic Labour Democratic Party.

When the authority of the Italian government was restored in 1946, local elections in the whole country were called. Proportional representation and the Westminster system were the principles chosen for the restoration of municipal democracy in Italy.

For the first time, the inhabitants of the city, including men and women, without distinction, could vote for their representatives in the city council. The conservative and right-wing parties, such as the Monarchist National Party and Common Man's Front, received the combined majority of the votes and extensive representation in the city council, while the leftist alliance Popular Democratic Bloc, an alliance between the Communists, Socialists and centre-left minor parties, received just the 31% of the votes.[2] However, the turnout of the election remains noted as extremely low.

Parties Votes % Seats
Popular Democratic Bloc[lower-alpha 1] 73,617 31.2 25
Common Man's Front UQ 46,851 19.8 16
Monarchist National Party PNM 44,484 18.8 15
Italian Liberal Party PLI 35,323 15.0 12
Christian Democracy DC 32,169 13.6 11
National Reconstruction Union URN 3,827 1.6 1
Total 236,271 100.0 80

Sunday 10 November 1946. Sources: La Stampa , 1946–1955 Local Elections (Italian), Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

Notes
  1. Alliance including PCI, PSIUP, PdA and PRI.

City council election, 1952
Achille Lauro, monarchist Mayor (1952–1958; 1961). He is still today considered one of the most influential and controversial political figures in the history of Naples


The incumbent city council's mandate expired in November 1951; however, a new election was postponed to next spring. During the maintenance of the previous council, the national political situation had deeply changed during the previous six years. In 1951, Alcide De Gasperi's government changed the local electoral law to a block voting system, to ensure the leadership of its local administrations. Two thirds of the seats would be assigned to the winning coalition, abolishing proportional representation.

The election took place on 25 May 1952, resulting in the unexpected defeat of the Centrist Coalition, with a right-wing coalition formed by monarchists and neo-fascists obtaining the majority of votes. The monarchist and former fascist businessman Achille Lauro, who had received almost 140,000 preference votes, higher than any number of votes received by any candidate in a local election up to that point, was elected mayor on 9 July and formed an far-right executive composed by members of PNM and MSI.[3]

Coalitions and parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Seats by party
—

Seats by coalition
Rightist Coalition 213,384 42.6 53
Monarchist National Party 147,814 29.5 10.7 37 22
Italian Social Movement 59,117 11.8 11.8 15 15
National Monarchist Front 6,453 1.3 1.3 1 1
Centrist Coalition 149,841 29.8 14
Christian Democracy 119,679 23.8 10.2 11
Italian Liberal Party 20,531 4.1 10.9 2 10
Italian Democratic Socialist Party 7,648 1.5 1.5 1 1
Italian Republican Party 1,983 0.4 0
Leftist Coalition 135,273 27.0 13
Italian Communist Party 107,916 21.5 11
Italian Socialist Party 15,075 3.0 1
Pine List
(Leftist Independents)		 12,282 2.5 2.5 1 1
Others 2,988 0.6 0.6 0
Total 501,426 100.0 80

Sunday 25 May 1952. Sources: La Stampa , 1946–1955 Local Elections (Italian), Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

City council election, 1956

The occurrence of the 1956 election was anticipated by the effect of a new law which ordered a new legislature for a term of 4 years. A varying electoral system was additionally implemented; after Alcide De Gasperi's government had retired in 1953, the 1951 electoral law, based on a block voting system was restored.

In June 1953 the incumbent mayor Achille Lauro ran both as deputy and senator in the national election. Being elected in both the Chamber and the Senate, and despite having received more than 180,000 preference votes in the election for the Chamber of Deputies, he opted to remain in the Senate.[3] However, in 1954, his election was invalidated, since he could not hold the offices of mayor and senator at the same time.

Due to his expulsion from the Senate and to his increasing popularity across Naples, in June 1954 Lauro founded a new monarchist party (People's Monarchist Party, PMP), breaking with the PNM's leader Alfredo Covelli. The new PMP party characterized itself for being closer to Christian Democracy, the support of which was necessary for Lauro to expand and enforce his political strength across the city.[4]

The election, which took place on 27 May 1956, resulted in a landslide victory for Lauro's new monarchist party, with the Mayor himself obtaining more than 260,000 preference votes.

In 1958, after an inquiry sponsored by the national government, several administrative irregularities emerged and Lauro was ousted from the office, after the Zoli Cabinet nominated a special commissioner to rule the city.[3]

Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
People's Monarchist Party PMP 276,599 51.2 51.2 44 44
Italian Communist Party PCI 102,307 19.1 2.4 16 5
Christian Democracy DC 87,630 16.4 7.4 11 2
Italian Socialist Party PSI 23,765 4.4 1.3 3 2
Italian Social Movement MSI 16,936 3.2 8.6 2 13
Monarchist National Party PNM 10,306 1.9 27.6 1 36
Italian Liberal Party PLI 9,042 1.7 2.4 1 1
Italian Democratic Socialist Party PSDI 4,375 0.8 0.7 0 1
Others 3,405 0.6 0
Total 534,365 100.0 80

Sunday 27 May 1956. Source: La Stampa , Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

City council election, 1960

In 1959 the two main monarchist parties (the PMP and PNM) merged into the new Italian Democratic Party, later the Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity (PDIUM). Despite the political scandal that led to a long period of suspension of the democratic institutions of the city, the election, which occurred upon 6 November 1950, resulted in a new political success for the monarchists; their leader, Achille Lauro, was again elected mayor in January 1961, thanks to the support of the Christian Democracy party. However he was forced to resign after 11 months, due to a political crisis that again led to the suspension of the city council and to a snap election in June 1962.

Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity PDIUM 201,522 36.0 36.0 29 29
Christian Democracy DC 146,661 26.2 9.8 22 11
Italian Communist Party PCI 130,908 23.4 4.3 19 3
Italian Socialist Party PSI 34,152 6.1 1.7 5 2
Italian Social Movement MSI 23,226 4.1 0.9 3 1
Italian Liberal Party PLI 11,854 2.1 0.4 1
Italian Democratic Socialist Party PSDI 11,181 2.0 1.2 1 1
Others 907 0.2 0.4 0
Total 560,441 100.0 80

Sunday 6 November 1960. Source: La Stampa , Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

City council election, 1962

The snap election, which took place on 10 June 1962, resulted within PDIUM obtaining the largest number of votes, despite considerable losses. For the first time the Christian Democracy party emerged as a possible challenger for Lauro's political dominance. After the election, a new alliance between PDIUM and DC was formed. However, in 1964 another political crisis between the two coalition partners occurred and another snap election was called.

Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity PDIUM 176,780 31.0 5.0 25 4
Christian Democracy DC 158,828 27.8 1.6 23 1
Italian Communist Party PCI 119,594 20.9 2.5 17 2
Italian Socialist Party PSI 47,841 8.4 2.3 7 2
Italian Social Movement MSI 31,715 5.5 1.4 4 1
Italian Democratic Socialist Party PSDI 18,258 3.2 1.2 2 1
Italian Liberal Party PLI 15,421 2.7 0.6 2 1
Others 2,571 0.5 0.3 0
Total 571,008 100.0 80

Sunday 10 June 1962. Source: La Stampa , Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

City council election, 1964

The snap election took place on 22 November 1964, with the Christian Democracy party becoming the largest party; the monarchists obtained their worst result ever in a local election in Naples during the election. On 27 January 1965, the first Neapolitan centre-left executive was formed and the Christian democrat Ferdinando Clemente di San Luca was elected mayor by an alliance that comprehended DC, PSI and PSDI.

Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Christian Democracy DC 200,601 34.7 6.9 29 6
Italian Communist Party PCI 142,349 24.6 3.7 20 3
Italian Social Movement MSI 59,544 10.3 4.8 8 4
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity PDIUM 48,337 8.7 22.3 7 18
Italian Liberal Party PLI 46,307 8.0 5.3 6 4
Italian Socialist Party PSI 37,850 6.5 1.9 5 2
Italian Democratic Socialist Party PSDI 33,021 5.7 2.5 4 2
Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity PSIUP 9,396 1.6 1.6 1 1
Others 1,073 0.2 0.3 0
Total 578,478 100.0 80

Sunday 22 November 1964. Source: La Stampa , Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

City council election, 1970

The election took place on 7 June 1970; this election, six years after the last, took place simultaneously with the first regional elections of Campania. The centre-left alliance was easily reconfirmed as the major political alliance in the city council.

Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Christian Democracy DC 209,153 33.8 0.9 28 1
Italian Communist Party PCI 161,547 26.1 1.5 22 2
Italian Social Movement MSI 74,720 12.1 1.8 10 2
Italian Socialist Party PSI 45,655 7.4 0.9 6 1
Italian Democratic Socialist Party PSDI 43,326 7.0 1.3 5 1
Italian Liberal Party PLI 28,270 4.6 3.4 3 3
Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity PDIUM 23,220 3.8 4.8 3 4
Italian Republican Party PRI 16,245 2.6 2.6 2 2
Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity PSIUP 11,160 1.8 0.2 1
Others 4,723 0.8 0.6 0
Total 618,019 100.0 80

Sunday 7 June 1970. Source: La Stampa , Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

City council election, 1975
Maurizio Valenzi, first communist Mayor (1975–1983)

The election took place on 15 June 1975.

Reflecting the national vote, the Italian Communist Party became, for the first time in history, the largest party within the city council, with 32% of electorate support. This extraordinary result led to the birth of the first red-giunta in the history of the city: a new coalition was formed by the leftist Socialist, Democratic-Socialist and Communist Party, while Maurizio Valenzi (PCI) was elected mayor on 27 September.

A notable fact in the election was the surge of the post-fascist Italian Social Movement.

Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Italian Communist Party PCI 228,385 32.3 6.2 27 5
Christian Democracy DC 200,507 28.4 5.4 24 4
Italian Social Movement MSI 130,992 18.5 6.4 15 5
Italian Democratic Socialist Party PSDI 49,019 6.9 0.1 5
Italian Socialist Party PSI 48,978 6.9 0.5 4 2
Italian Republican Party PRI 21,908 3.1 0.5 2
Italian Liberal Party PLI 14,099 2.0 2.6 2 1
Proletarian Democracy DP 10,381 1.5 1.5 1 1
Others 2,746 0.4 0.4 0
Total 707,015 100.0 80

Sunday 15 June 1975. Source: La Stampa , Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

City council election, 1980

The election took place on 8 June 1980 and the Italian Communist Party was confirmed again as the largest party. However, the ruling left-wing coalition was not able to win more seats in the city council and assure a more stable majority. After a political crisis, a snap election was called in 1983.

Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Italian Communist Party PCI 223,726 31.7 0.6 27
Christian Democracy DC 178,854 25.4 3.0 21 3
Italian Social Movement MSI 157,167 22.3 3.8 18 3
Italian Socialist Party PSI 54,013 7.7 0.8 5 1
Italian Democratic Socialist Party PSDI 45,565 6.5 0.4 4 1
Italian Republican Party PRI 20,937 3.0 0.1 2
Italian Liberal Party PLI 12,950 1.8 0.2 2
Proletarian Democracy DP 7,054 1.0 0.5 1
Others 5,179 0.8 0.4 0
Total 705,445 100.0 80

Sunday 8 June 1980. Source: La Stampa , Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

City council election, 1983

The snap election took place on 20 November 1983. Despite notable losses, the Italian Communist Party was confirmed again as the largest party. However, the Christian Democracy party managed to form a transitional centre-left coalition with socialists and social-democrats. In November 1984 a Pentapartito coalition was finally formed and the socialist Carlo D'Amato was elected mayor.

Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Italian Communist Party PCI 181,745 27.0 4.7 23 4
Christian Democracy DC 163,777 24.3 1.1 20 1
Italian Social Movement MSI 140,542 20.8 1.5 17 1
Italian Socialist Party PSI 70,615 10.5 2.8 9 4
Italian Democratic Socialist Party PSDI 44,967 6.6 0.1 5 1
Italian Republican Party PRI 33,333 4.9 1.9 4 2
Italian Liberal Party PLI 14,818 2.2 0.4 1 1
Radical Party PR 8,981 1.3 1.3 1 1
Proletarian Democracy DP 6,416 0.9 0.1 0 1
Others 8,850 1.4 0.6 0
Total 674,044 100.0 80

Sunday 20 November 1983. Source: La Stampa , Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

City council election, 1987

Another snap election took place on 14 June 1987.

Despite a high degree of fragmentation and instability during the previous years, the Pentapartito coalition managed to obtain again the majority of the seats in the city council. Christian Democracy became the largest party.

Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Christian Democracy DC 212,082 30.4 6.1 26 6
Italian Communist Party PCI 160,362 23.0 4.0 19 4
Italian Socialist Party PSI 106,772 15.3 4.8 14 5
Italian Social Movement MSI 70,723 10.2 10.6 8 9
Italian Democratic Socialist Party PSDI 45,671 6.6 5
Italian Republican Party PRI 38,188 5.6 0.7 4
Radical Party PR 19,793 2.8 1.5 2 1
Italian Liberal Party PLI 18,071 2.6 0.4 1
Proletarian Democracy DP 10,130 1.4 0.5 1 1
Others 15,260 2.1 0.7 0
Total 697,092 100.0 80

Sunday 14 June 1987. Source: La Stampa , Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

City council election, 1992

The election took place on 7 June 1992, resulting within a Christian democracy victory.

Parties Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Christian Democracy DC 178,096 29.8 0.6 25 1
Italian Socialist Party PSI 116,904 19.5 4.2 16 2
Democratic Party of the Left PDS 75,972 12.7 9.3 10 9
Italian Social Movement MSI 55,256 9.2 1.0 7 1
Italian Republican Party PRI 37,567 6.3 0.7 5 1
Italian Liberal Party PLI 36,099 6.3 3.7 5 4
Italian Democratic Socialist Party PSDI 35,533 5.9 0.7 5
Communist Refoundation Party PRC 24,346 4.1 4.1 3 3
Federation of the Greens FdV 15,317 2.6 2.6 2 2
The Network LR 11,579 1.9 1.9 1 1
Pannella List LP 9,525 1.6 1.6 1 1
Others 2,016 0.3 1.8 0
Total 598,210 100.0 80

Sunday 7 June 1992. Source: La Stampa , Electoral Archives of Naples (Italian)

Mayoral and city council election, 1993

The election took place on two rounds, the first on 21 November and the second on 5 December 1993.

Mayoral and city council election, 1997

The election took place on 16 November 1997.

Mayoral and city council election, 2001

The election took place in two rounds: the first on 13 May, the second on 27 May 2001.

Candidate Party Coalition First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Rosa Russo Iervolino DL The Olive Tree 262,818 48.82 278,183 52.91
Antonio Martusciello FI House of Freedoms 246,089 45.71 247,564 47.09
Others 29,457 5.47
Eligible voters 849,798 100.00 849,798 100.00
Voted 579,204 68.16 534,590 62.91
Blank or invalid ballots 40,840 8,843
Total valid votes 538,364 525,747

Mayoral and city council election, 2006

The election took place on 28–29 May 2006.

Candidate Party Coalition First round
Votes %
Rosa Russo Iervolino DL The Olive Tree 304,975 57.20
Franco Malvano FI House of Freedoms 201,242 37.74
Others 26,962 5.06
Eligible voters 828,496 100.00
Voted 552,110 66.64
Blank or invalid ballots 18,931
Total valid votes 533,179

Mayoral and city council election, 2011

The election took place in two rounds: the first on 15–16 May, the second on 29–30 May 2011.

Candidate Party Coalition First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Luigi De Magistris IdV IdV-FdS 128,303 27.52 264,730 65.38
Gianni Lettieri PdL PdL-FdS-NS-PID-PRI-LD-AdC 179,575 38.52 140,203 34.62
Mario Morcone PD PD-SEL 89,280 19.15
Raimondo Pasquino UDC UDC-FLI-ApI 45,449 9.75
Clemente Mastella UDEUR 10,124 2.17
Roberto Fico M5S 6,441 1.38
Others 7,002 1.51
Eligible voters 812,450 100.00 812,450 100.00
Voted 490,142 60.33 410,907 50.58
Blank or invalid ballots 23,968 5,974
Total valid votes 466,174 404,933

Summary of the 2011 Naples city council election results

 
Parties and coalitions Votes % Seats
The People of Freedom (Il Popolo delle Libertà) PdL 97,75223.85%8
Force of the South (Forza del Sud) FdS 21,4285.23%1
We the South (Noi Sud) NS 14,6583.58%1
Lettieri List (Lista Lettieri) LL 12,5713.07%1
Others 30,4907.43%0
Lettieri coalition (Centre-right) 176,90143.16%11
Democratic Party (Partito Democratico) PD 68,01816.59%5
Left Ecology Freedom (Sinistra Ecologia Libertà) SEL 16,2833.97%0
Others 8,6822.12%0
Morcone coalition (Centre-left) 92,98322.68%5
Italy of Values (Italia dei Valori) IdV 33,3208.13%15
Naples is Yours (Napoli è Tua) NT 18,9024.61%8
Federation of the Left (Federazione della Sinistra) FdS 15,0083.66%6
Others 1,2920.32%0
De Magistris coalition (Left-wing) 68,52216.72%[5] 29
Union of the Centre (Unione di Centro) UDC 21,3355.21%2
Future and Freedom (Futuro e Libertà) FLI 13,8073.37%1
Alliance for Italy (Alleanza per l'Italia) ApI 6,0031.46%0
Others 5,9041.44%0
Pasquino coalition (Centre) 47,06911.48%3
Others 24,4205.96%0
Total 409,895100%48
Votes cast / turnout 490,14260.33%
Registered voters 812,450
Source: Ministry of the Interior

Mayoral and city council election, 2016
See also: 2016 Naples municipal election

The election took place in two rounds, the first on 5 June and the second on 19 June 2016.

Candidate Party Coalition First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Luigi De Magistris DemA DemA-SI-FdV-PRC-PCd'I-IdV 172,710 42.82 185,907 66.85
Gianni Lettieri FI 96,961 24.04 92,174 33.15
Valeria Valente PD PD-AP-UDC-CD-Mod-PSI 85,225 21.13
Matteo Brambilla M5S 38,863 9.64
Marcello Tagliatela FdI 5,186 1.29
Others 4,336 1.08
Eligible voters 788,291 100.00 788,291 100.00
Voted 426,602 54.12 283,542 35.97
Blank or invalid ballots 23,291 5,461
Total valid votes 403,311 278,081

Summary of the 2016 Naples city council election results

 
Parties and coalitions Votes % Seats
De Magistris List (Lista De Magistris) LDM 51,89613.79%10
Democracy and Autonomy (Democrazia e Autonomia) DemA 28,5877.60%5
Naples in Common to the Left (Napoli in Comune a Sinistra) NCS 19,9455.30%4
Federation of the Greens (Federazione dei Verdi) FdV 11,3413.01%2
Others 37,97110.08%3
De Magistris coalition (Left-wing) 149,74039.80%24
Forza Italia FI 36,1459.61%4
Lettieri List (Lista Lettieri) LL 28,8697.67%2
Others 27,3477.27%1
Lettieri coalition (Centre-right) 92,36124.55%7
Democratic Party (Partito Democratico) PD 43,79011.64%6
Popular Area (Area Popolare) AP 7,5212.00%1
Others 37,67510.01%0
Valente coalition (Centre-left) 88,98623.65%7
Five Star Movement (Movimento Cinque Stelle) M5S 36,3599.66%2
Others 8,8172.35%0
Total 376,263100%40
Votes cast / turnout 426,60254.12%
Registered voters 788,291
Source: Ministry of the Interior

Notes
  1. "Cittadini comunitari alle urne". Ministero dell‘Interno (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  2. Napoli, Comune di. "Il Comune – Area statistica – Archivio storico statistico delle elezioni – amministrative – Consiglio Comunale 1946". www.comune.napoli.it. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  3. "Lauro, Achille". treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. M. Mourre, Dizionario enciclopedico di storia, Mondadori, Milan 1988
  5. Despite not winning the majority of votes, the coalition won the majority bonus of seats granted by the electoral law to the alliance whose candidate is elected Mayor. This mechanism works just if no coalition obtains more than the 50% of votes.
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