2025 Marche regional election

Electoral system The Region of Marche operates under a standard regional statute. Both the Legislative Assembly and the President of the Region are elected at the same time through a regional election. The Legislative Assembly is composed of 30 seats, filled using a system of proportional representation with open lists and preferential voting. Voters may express preferences for individual candidates within the lists. The electoral system includes a 5% threshold, which parties must reach in order to gain representation. However, this threshold is lowered to 3% for parties running as part of a coalition. The use of panachage (voting across multiple lists) is not permitted. The region is divided into five provinces, each electing between four and nine councillors depending on population. The assembly members are elected proportionally within these constituencies. The President of the Region is elected in a single-round, first-past-the-post vote. Each presidential candidate must be affiliated with one of the lists running for the Legislative Assembly, effectively barring independent candidates. The electoral law includes a majority bonus for the list of the elected president to ensure stable governance: • If the president's list receives between 34% and 37% of the vote, it is awarded 16 seats. • Between 37% and 40% grants 17 seats. • More than 40% awards 18 seats. After assigning the bonus, the remaining seats are distributed proportionally among the other lists that passed the electoral threshold. Finally, the elected president automatically becomes a member of the Legislative Assembly, increasing the total number of members to 31. == Parties and candidates ==

Presidential candidate Alleanza del Cambiamento Più Marche Other candidates • Claudio Bolletta, supported by Sovereign Popular Democracy. • Francesco Gerardi, supported by the Forza del Popolo list. Regional Councilor candidates constituency displayed outside of the municipal council office of Civitanova Marche. == Campaign ==

On July 23, 2025, Ricci received a informing him that he was being investigated by the Pesaro prosecutor's office in connection with the "Affidopoli" investigation into alleged irregularities in the public procurement system that occurred during his tenure as mayor of the city. Ricci denied the accusations, but despite this, the M5S requested clarification, and President Giuseppe Conte declared that he would read the prosecutor's case files against him to decide whether to continue supporting him in the elections. After the reading, the party reiterated its support for the candidate, arguing that there was no reason to do otherwise. Subsequently, on 4 August 2025, in a centre-right conference held in Ancona during the electoral campaign, it was announced by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that the Marche and Umbria regions would enter the ZES, a project aimed at economic development and which was initially dedicated exclusively to the southern regions, but now also extended to part of central Italy. Debates == Opinion polls ==

On 26 September 2025, a fabricated opinion poll was circulated in the lead-up to the election, falsely indicating that centre-left candidate Matteo Ricci was leading over incumbent President Francesco Acquaroli. The poll, attributed to the polling institute SWG, was widely shared on social media, including by Democratic Party member, Alessia Morani, who referenced it in her posts. However, SWG publicly denied conducting or releasing the poll, stating it was a fake and reserving the right to take legal action. Fratelli d'Italia responded by filing a formal complaint with Italy's communications authority, AGCOM, and the Public prosecutor's office in Ancona. Giovanni Donzelli, a prominent member of FdI, condemned the incident, calling it "a deliberate attempt to disseminate fake news during the election period". Pollings Political parties == Outcome ==

Results Turnout Analysis Acquaroli defeated Ricci by 8 points, with greater support in southern Marche and a majority overall in the region, including 7 of the 11 cities with populations over 30,000. Ricci’s support was concentrated in northern Marche, particularly in Ancona and his hometown of Pesaro. South of Ancona, he won in 13 municipalities, including Grottammare and Monteprandone, both with populations over 10,000. While Ricci was elected as the second-place presidential candidate, he chose not to take his seat and remained in the European Parliament. Elected councilors == See also ==