PES president Sergei Stanishev said:
“This is a great result and a well-deserved one. Our member party PD has managed to win in Bologna, Ravena and Rimini and PD – backed candidates will govern in Naples and Milano. This is an undisputable success, built upon the unity of the left and upon a campaign addressing the real issues people care about: transport, sustainability, accessibility, social justice. This is a great sign for the Italian centre-left and for the current Italian government. It is also an outright rejection of the far-right and its politics of artificial problems and division”.
“I want to personally congratulate Enrico Letta on his leadership and on his great result in the by-election in Siena, where he managed to carry the seat unchallenged. We look forward to this new drive for the Italian and European left.
We would like also to highlight the election victory of the former S&D president Gianni Pittella, who won mayoral election in the town of Lauria.”
The PES wishes the best of lucks to PD and the left in the runoff of the municipal elections for Rome and Turin, to be held on 17 and 18 October, where there is a good chance for left-leaning governments to be formed.
The great results of the Partito Democratico are part of the trending wave of progressive victories in elections across Europe. In the last weeks the social democratic parties have won in Norway, Germany and in the Portuguese municipal elections.
