The significance of Italian Democratic Party's win in regional poll

The coverage of regional polls anywhere in the world by an international news channel is not common unless there are wider implications.

This weekend's election in Emilia-Romagna, a wealthy northern region of Italy, could have led to a significant change in decades-old political sentiment in the region.

Following pressures from the surge of refugees to Europe and powerful, dedicated campaigning by the head of Italy's controversial far-right party La Lega, polls were showing a possible defeat for the center-left, which has long dominated Emilia-Romagna.

Heading into the election, La Lega candidate Lucia Borgonzoni was running neck-and-neck with the Democratic Party's incumbent Stefano Bonaccini, a narrow margin never seen before. Yet Bonaccini was rarely seen canvassing and La Lega's campaign was dominated by the party's contentious leader Matteo Salvini, who many accuse of trying to nationalize the polls.

Salvini pulled his party out of the country's ruling coalition last year in an attempt to force new elections. That did not happen. As a result, many analysts believe that his attempt to win in a stable center-left region was also aimed at solidifying his centrality by suggesting that he can win anywhere.

Alessandra Nati has been covering Italian politics for one of the country's national newspapers for more than two decades and says that Salvini's prominent role here in Emilia-Romagna gave the poll a national dimension.

"Salvini wants to win. He uses his face on all the campaign posters, so much so that the actual candidate here has rarely been seen. If he (Salvini) wins, first of all, he will be winning a region that has been historically related to the left and then logically he will push for new (federal) elections."

The Democratic Party's incumbent Stefano Bonaccini was running neck-and-neck with La Lega candidate Lucia Borgonzoni (Credit: AP)

But his candidate didn't win, and many residents in Emilia-Romagna's capital Bologna were pleased with the results, such as 27-year-old university student Chiara.

"I spent all night with insomnia, always checking for updates," she said. "Then when I woke up this morning and read the results, I was so happy - but the left has to wake up."

Some might say it already has. Giulio, 30, also from Bologna, said it was thevoter turnout that impressed him. More than 67 percent of registered voters cast their ballots on Sunday, an increase from only 36 percent in the last regional election, underlining the significance people placed on these elections.

Political analyst Davide Nitrosi said La Lega's losshas stumped the growth of Matteo Salvini across Italy. "I believe that this is going to have national repercussions," he said, "because Salvini must now reflect on the fact that he is not unbeatable."

Upon conceding, the former interior minister emphasized the significance of his far-right party's impact on elections in a region dominated by the left since World War II.

Salvini said: "It is exciting for me that after 70 years here in Emilia-Romagna there was a match for the first time. Since elections have existed in Emilia-Romagna, the comments about electoral results were never longer than three minutes, because the game was decided even before starting.

"Having invested blood and soul, strength and listening time and having also traveled thousands of kilometers on the roads of Emilia-Romagna, I feel happy and I am quite proud to have brought so many people back into politics."

These elections took place as Italy's coalition government - between the Democratic Party and Five Star Movement, whose leader has resigned amid declining popularity - struggles to maintain power.

Having failed to make any headway in the polls here, Five Star will come under further pressure at the national level, leaving room for Matteo Salvini and the far-right to continue its pursuit of a majority government in Rome.

What these elections suggest is that traditional center-left sentiment across Italy is on shaky ground. And la Lega's anti-migrant, nationalist rhetoric is finding more traction across the country.

(CGTN)