Rome gets first female mayor

Virginia Raggi, candidate of the Five Star Movement (M5S), has been elected the first ever female mayor of Rome.

The lawyer won 67% of the vote in the second round on Sunday, defeating Roberto Giachetti, who garnered 33%.

“For the first time Rome has a female mayor in an age where equality of opportunity remains a mirage,” The Guardian quoted her as saying in her victory speech according to theGuardian

“I will be a mayor for all Romans. I will restore legality and transparency to the city’s institutions after 20 years of poor governance. With us a new era is opening.”

The Democratic Party’s conquest in Rome had been expected after the criticism of its management of the city over the past three years, but Raggi promises hope for the Romans.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the victory in Rome provides the 5 Star Movement — until now mainly perceived as a protest and opposition party — with its first opportunity to demonstrate its ability to govern.

An effective job in Rome, wounded by allegations of corruption and suffocated by €12 billion ($13.65 billion) of debt, would also boost the movement’s chances at the next national elections, which could take place next year.

PD’s Ignazio Marino resigned as mayor of Rome in October over an expenses scandal.

The city has been without a mayor since then. Five Star’s rise in Rome was fuelled by a big scandal involving alleged Mafia influence at Rome city hall.

In Naples, Italy’s third city, former prosecutor Luigi de Magistris, a centrist, won a second term with two thirds of the vote.