Roberto Gualtieri, a former MEP and Minister of Economy, secured 60.6% of the vote in the Rome centre-left primaries.
PES President Sergei Stanishev said:
“I send my warmest congratulations to Roberto Gualtieri for his very strong result in the Rome primaries. His message of revival for Italy’s capital city won the trust of progressives and I think it will resonate again with voters at the election. The Democratic Party campaign is off to a flying start.
“I got to know Roberto well during our time together in the European Parliament. His passionate for his home city and his progressive, European, values are a winning combination. He is the mayor Rome needs.
“The Democratic Party is in a strong position and the PES political family hopes to see that strengthened even further with victory in Rome later this year. We offer our full support to make that happen.”
Rome municipal election will take place later this year, no later than October 2021.