The Italian Regional Elections of 2010. Continuity and a Few Surprises

On 28-29 March 2010, about forty millions Italian voters were called to renew the presidents and legislative assemblies of thirteen Ordinary Statute Regions. In this article those regional elections are analysed. After a summary description of the main institutional features and recent evolution of the electoral rules, the following aspects are covered: the debate during the electoral campaign; the process of coalitions building and management, and the selection of candidates to the presidency; the electoral results in the presidential run and in the legislative assemblies. In the conclusions, the consequences of the regional elections and possible scenarios for national political equilibrium are evaluated.