The 2020 Italian local elections were held on different dates; they were originally scheduled to take place in May 2020, together with the 2020 regional elections, with a second round on June,[1] but they were delayed on 20 and 21 September with a second round on 4 and 5 October due to the coronavirus pandemic in Italy.[2] Direct elections were held in 1,172 out of 7,904 municipalities; in each of these, the mayor and the members of the City Council are going to be elected. Of the 1,172 municipalities, 18 are provincial capitals.
The elections in Trentino - Alto Adige/Südtirol were planned to be held on 3 May, with a second ballot on 17 May,[3] while the elections in Aosta Valley were planned on 17 May, with a second ballot on 31 May,[4] but they were delayed following the coronavirus pandemic.[5][6] In Sicily the elections were planned to be held on 24 May but they were first postponed on 14 June with a second round on 28 June[7] and then they were delayed again sometime between 11 October and 6 December.[8]
Municipal councillors and mayors ordinarily serve a term of five years.
All mayoral elections in Italy in cities with a population higher than 15,000 use the same voting system. Under this system, voters express a direct choice for the mayor or an indirect choice voting for the party of the candidate's coalition. If no candidate receives at least 50% of votes, the top two candidates go to a second round after two weeks. This gives a result whereby the winning candidate may be able to claim majority support, although it is not guaranteed.
The election of the City Council is based on a direct choice for the candidate with a preference vote: the candidate with the majority of the preferences is elected. The number of seats for each party is determined proportionally.
Majority of each coalition in the municipalities which have a population higher than 15,000 inhabitants:[9]