Glamorous Virginia Raggi becomes Rome’s first female Mayor in 3,000 years as anti-establishment party sweeps to power in hammer blow for EU
The populist Five Star Movement claimed City Hall in the Italian capital with two-thirds of the vote
AN ITALIAN anti-establishment party championed by glamorous Virginia Raggi has swept to power in Rome and Turin in a hammer blow for the EU.
The populist Five Star Movement claimed City Hall in the Italian capital with two-thirds of the vote as Ms Raggi thumped a candidate from Italian PM Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party.
Her victory means Ms Raggi is Rome’s first ever female Mayor.
And in Turin, Five Star also claimed seized control as Chiara Appendino thumped the sitting Democratic mayor.
Five Star was founded by comedian Beppe Grillo, who last year branded the EU an “absolutely useless formation”.
European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker’s chief aide labelled Beppe Grillo an extremist on a par with Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump – and Boris Johnson – last month.
Speaking after her victory Ms Raggi declared a “new era” adding: “The result is above all expectation. It really is a historic result.”
Five Star received a quarter of the vote in Italy’s 2013 national elections following the credit crisis.
He has stepped back from the front line in recent months in a shift in strategy.
Writing on his blog, he said: “Now it’s our turn. And it’s only the beginning.”
