2021 Democratic Party (Italy) leadership by-election
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The 2021 Democratic Party leadership by-election was an election held on 14 March 2021 in which the members of the Democratic Party's National Assembly elected the party Secretary, whose seat had been vacant since 4 March of the same year.
Procedure[edit]
Under the internal rules of the Democratic Party, if an incumbent Secretary resigns, the National Assembly can either decide to dissolve itself and call a new primary election, or choose a new Secretary who will serve until the expiration of the Assembly's four years term.
Candidates[edit]
| Portrait | Name | Offices held | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Enrico Letta (age 57) |
Prime Minister of Italy (2013–2014) Other positions
| |
History[edit]
The 2019 Democratic Party leadership election had seen the victory of Nicola Zingaretti, who had become Secretary after winning over 66% of the vote. On 4 March 2021, Zingaretti resigned,[1] planning to hand the party's leadership to former Prime Minister Enrico Letta. Letta, who at the time was working in Paris as a university professor, immediately returned to Italy,[2][3] where he was elected Secretary by the National Assembly in a nearly unanimous vote. In his first speech as leader of the Democratic Party, he set out his agenda, which included the formation a broad alliance alongside centre-left and centrist political forces, making it easier for children of immigrants to obtain Italian citizenship, lowering the minimum voting age from 18 to 16, the introduction of an anti-defection law, and an electoral law reform.[4][5][6][7]
Results[edit]
National Assembly of the Democratic Party[edit]
| Motion to elect Enrico Letta Secretary of the Democratic Party, 14 March 2021 | ||
| Ballot → | ||
|---|---|---|
In favor 
|
860 / 866 (99%)
| |
Against 
|
2 / 866 (0.2%)
| |
| Abstentions | 4 / 866 (0.5%)
| |
Sources[edit]
- ^ "Zingaretti si dimette da segretario Pd: "Mi vergogno si parli solo di poltrone, ora tutti si assumano responsabilità". Il partito: "Ci ripensi"".
- ^ "Enrico Letta il "francese" saprà difendere l'Italia? I dubbi sul doppio ruolo del neo leader del Pd".
- ^ "Nicola Zingaretti si dimette da segretario Pd".
- ^ "PD, il programma di Enrico Letta: voto ai sedicenni e ius soli".
- ^ "Letta 'comincia bene' con un discorso più di sinistra che di centro".
- ^ "Italian ex-prime minister Enrico Letta elected to lead Democratic party".
- ^ "Italy's ex-PM Enrico Letta returns to lead Democratic Party".