Elections in Rome

In Rome, people who are at least 18 years old and have EU citizenship can vote for important leaders. They choose the Mayor and 48 members of the Capitoline Assembly. They also vote for the President and members of the Council in the Municipality where they live.

Since 1993, Italian mayors have been chosen directly by voters. In cities with more than 15,000 people, voters pick a mayor-candidate and/or a party or civic list, which may not be linked to the same candidate. If no candidate gets more than half of the votes, the top two go to a runoff election after two weeks. The City Council and Municipalities Councils are elected using a system that considers preferences, with lists supporting the elected mayor getting around 60% of the seats.

Elections happen every five years, usually between April 15 and June 15. The most recent election was in October 2021.

Elections during the Italian Republic (since 1946)

City Council election, 1946

The first vote after the end of a strict rule happened on November 10, 1946.

After people were freed from strict rule in June 1944, a nobleman was chosen to lead the city until the government was ready again in 1946. Votes were split, and no group could get enough support to lead alone. The group with the most votes was a mix of two parties, but they still needed more support.

City Council election, 1947

The next vote happened on October 12, 1947.

Again, no group won clearly. One group got the most seats, but another group did very badly this time. Another group grew stronger and got more than one-third of the votes.

City Council election, 1952

The vote happened on May 25, 1952.

Rules changed so that the group with the most support would get more seats. The Vatican tried to help one group win, but the leader chose a different mix of groups to work together.

City Council election, 1956

The vote happened on May 27, 1956.

Rules changed back, and this time two big groups ran apart. The mix of groups that had worked well before stayed strong, even though there were big problems with building projects.

City Council election, 1960

The vote happened on November 6, 1960.

The same mix of groups stayed strong, helping the current leader stay in place. But later, problems happened, and another vote was needed.

City Council election, 1962

The next quick vote happened on June 10, 1962.

After a year of problems, a new mix of groups took charge for the first time.

City Council election, 1966

The vote happened on June 12, 1966.

Even though one big group lost some support, a new group grew strongly, getting more than one-tenth of the votes.

City Council election, 1971

The vote happened on June 13, 1971.

The same mix of groups stayed strong, but the leader decided to work with just a few groups instead.

City Council election, 1976

The vote happened on June 20, 1976.

For the first time, a group of left-side parties got the most votes, and one of them took charge of the city.

City Council election, 1981

The vote happened on June 21, 1981.

The left-side groups won by a big amount.

City Council election, 1985

The vote happened on May 12, 1985.

After the leader died, another person took over but faced problems. The vote ended with a different group winning.

City Council election, 1989

A quick vote happened on October 29, 1989.

After problems with school meals, the leader left, and a quick vote was needed. The same group stayed strong, and a new leader was chosen.

Mayoral and City Council election, 1993

See also: 1993 Rome municipal election

Mayoral and City Council election, 1997

See also: 1997 Rome municipal election

Mayoral and City Council election, 2001

See also: 2001 Rome municipal election

Mayoral and City Council election, 2006

See also: 2006 Rome municipal election

Mayoral and City Council election, 2008

See also: 2008 Rome municipal election

Mayoral and City Council election, 2013

See also: 2013 Rome municipal election

Mayoral and City Council election, 2016

See also: 2016 Rome municipal election

Mayoral and City Council election, 2021

See also: 2021 Rome municipal election