Emilia-Romagna 2025 administrative elections, voting in Ravenna and 4 municipalities: the guide

Bologna, May 20, 2025 – In Emilia-Romagna, we go back to the polls. The first round of the local elections will be held on May 25 and 26. Polling stations will be open on Sunday 25 from 7:00 to 23:00 and on Monday 26 from 7:00 to 15:00. The possible run-off will be on June 8 and 9, in conjunction with the abrogative referendums.

The municipalities at the vote

Five municipalities in Emilia-Romagna will vote: Ravenna, Varano de' Melegari (Parma), Fontevivo (Parma), Bertinoro (Forlì-Cesena) and San Prospero (Modena).

The challenges

Ravenna Seven mayoral candidates to succeed Michele de Pascale, elected president of the Region: Miserocchi of Ravenna al Centro; Nicola Grandi (Brothers of Italy, Forza Italia, Viva Ravenna); Giovanni Morgese (Christian Democracy); Marisa Iannucci (Ravenna in Comune, Communist Refoundation, Power to the People, PCI); Veronica Verlicchi (La Pigna); Alvaro Ancisi (Lega-Ancisi mayor List For Ravenna-People of the Family and Environment and Animals); Alessandro Barattoni (PD, Ama Ravenna, 5 Star Movement, Ravenna Project, Italian Republican Party and Green and Left Alliance).

Varano de' Melegari (Parma) Two mayoral candidates: Giuseppe Restiani (list 'Varano nel cuore') and Cristina Gabelli ('Varano Insieme').

Fontevivo (Parma) Two mayoral candidates: Fabio Moroni Motta ('Fontevivo Insieme') and Mariavittoria Rusca ('Fontevivo Avanti Tutta').

Bertinoro (Forlì-Cesena) Two mayoral candidates: Giorgio Bernaroli ('Turning the page') and Filippo Scogli ('Together for Bertinoro'.

San Prospero (Modena) Three mayoral candidates: Eva Baraldi (A Municipality for all), Bruno Fontana (San Prospero for change) and Sauro Borghi (San Prospero 2030).

How to vote in municipalities with more than 15,000 inhabitants

Voting is done on a single ballot paper , which will already contain the names of the candidates for the office of mayor and, under each of them, the symbol or symbols of the lists supporting them.

There are three voting options: 1) You can mark only one list symbol , thus assigning your preference to the marked list and to the mayoral candidate supported by it.

2) You can trace a mark on the symbol of a list , while simultaneously tracing a mark on the name of a mayoral candidate not connected to the list voted for: by doing so you obtain the so-called 'split vote'.

3) You can only mark the name of the mayoral candidate, thus voting only for the mayoral candidate and not for the list or lists connected to him.

Each voter may also express , in the appropriate lines next to the list symbol, one or two preference votes, writing the surname of no more than two candidates included in the list voted for. In the case of the expression of two preferences, they must concern candidates of different sexes from the same list, under penalty of cancellation of the second preference.

The candidate who obtains an absolute majority of valid votes (at least 50% plus one) is elected mayor in the first round.

If no candidate reaches this threshold, voting will take place again on Sunday 8 June - from 7 am to 11 pm - and on Monday 9 June - from 7 am to 3 pm (in conjunction with the abrogative referendums) to choose between the two candidates who obtained the highest number of votes in the first round (run-off).

In the second round, the candidate who obtains the most votes is elected mayor.

How to vote in municipalities with up to 15,000 inhabitants

You vote with a single ballot to elect both the mayor and the city councilors. The name of the candidate for mayor is already printed on the ballot, with the symbol of the only list that supports him next to it.

The vote is expressed by making a mark on the list symbol or on the name of the mayoral candidate.

It is not possible to vote for a candidate for the office of mayor other than the one connected to the list. The votes obtained by the candidate for the office of mayor are attributed to the list connected to him.

For municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, you can express your preference for a candidate for the municipal council by writing the surname in the appropriate line next to the list symbol.

For municipalities with between 5,000 and 15,000 , one or two preferences can be expressed for candidates for the municipal council. If there are two, they must concern candidates of different sexes from the same list, under penalty of cancellation of the second preference.

The candidate who obtains the most votes is elected mayor.

In the event of a tie between two candidates , voting will be held again for the latter on Sunday 8 June - from 7 am to 11 pm - and Monday 9 June - from 7 am to 3 pm (run-off) , in conjunction with the abrogative referendums. In this case too, the candidate who has obtained the most votes will be elected. In the event of a further tie, the eldest will be declared elected.

Once the mayor is elected, the council is also defined: the list that supports the elected mayor will receive 2/3 of the available seats, while the remaining seats will be distributed proportionally among the other lists.