The Italian regional elections of 2010 took place on 28âÂÂ29 March in 13 regions, including nine of the ten largest ones: Lombardy, Campania, Veneto, Lazio, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Apulia, Tuscany and Calabria.
The elections turned out to be a competition between two rival coalitions centered around the two major parties: The People of Freedom (PdL), led by Silvio Berlusconi, and the Democratic Party (PD), led by Pier Luigi Bersani. The third-largest party in Italy, the Northern League (whose main regional sections â Liga Veneta, Lega Lombarda, and Lega Piemont â played major roles in Veneto, Lombardy, and Piedmont, respectively), supported joint candidates with the PdL in Northern and Central Italy.
The centre-right coalition went on to win the elections, gaining four additional regions, although the centre-left coalition maintained control of seven out of thirteen regions.
Beppe GrilloâÂÂs Five Star Movement (M5S) also had a strong showing in Emilia-Romagna.
<small>Sources: Ministry of the Interior â Historical Archive of Elections, Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica</small>