ROME -- Radical Five Star Movement (M5S) Virginia Raggi took a dazzling lead in the first round vote for the new mayor of Rome Sunday qualifying for a run-off election with centre-left rival Roberto Giacchetti to be held June 19, electoral officials said.  

 Whilst the radical Five Star Moviment (M5S) has obtained a break away result at the ballot in both the Italian capital and Turin, no metropolitan city has succeeded in electing a mayor at this first round of voting, with the exception of Cagliari where centre-left party nominee Massimo Zedda will continue in the role.

 36-year-old Raggi took the lead in Rome with 35.29 percent of the vote, a figure that has almost tripled since the national opposition party's 12.82 percent result in the 2013 Municipal elections.  If she were to win she would become Rome's first female mayor.  Giachetti, a member of the Democratic Party and the Transnational Radical Party, though mayoral candidate for the centre-left (including the Greens) and backed by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, placed second with 24.8 percent.  Third placed Giorgia Meloni was eliminated with 20.68 percent, backed by parties Lega Nord and Fratelli d’Italia.

 In the meantime in Rome, the Democratic Party has lost a significant amount of support falling from their previous 26.26 percent in the 2013 Municipal elections to 17.2, with the rest of Giachetti's support coming from smaller left wing parties, whilst Fratelli d’Italia has risen from 5.93 to 12.3 percent.  Forza Italia meanwhile gained just 4.2 percent of the vote.

 Beppe Grillo, who founded M5S, wrote on his blog that this result was “A historic achievement” for the party, noting that in Bologna Max Bugani “has doubled the votes of the previous local elections, for Gianluca Conrad in Milan the Movimento 5 Stelle result has risen from three percent to around 10, and in Naples, with Matteo Brambilla, from one to 10 percent.”  Furthermore, “there are already some mayors who’ve been elected in the first round (for now Fossombrone and Vigonovo).”  All in all, “The Movimento 5 Stelle is slow but inexorable.  We’ll change everything!”

 If a candidate fails to reach 50 percent of the vote, a second round is held, which in this case will be taking place on June 19.  Those going to the second ballot in Rome will be Raggi and Giachetti, in Milan the Centre-Left’s Giuseppe Sala and Centre-Right’s Stefano Parisi are neck and neck, in Naples Left Wing Luigi de Magistris is currently out in front against Forza Italia and Lega Nord supported Gianni Lettieri, and in Turin the outgoing Centre-Left mayor Piero Fassino will be up against Chiara Appendino for M5S.

 If Bologna also goes to a second ballot once all the votes have been counted, the choice will be between Centre-Left Viginio Merola and Lega Nord candidate Lucia Bergonzoni.  Political experts have speculated that this turn towards the more radical M5S could be a vote against the establishment parties who have recently seen a string of corruption scandals, including that of the resignation of the former Rome mayor Ignazio Marino after an expense scandal.

 The turnout was low at just 62.14 percent of voters.

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