Rome goes to polls to vote for new mayor amid 'Green pass' Protests

Romans are voting in a run-off election to determine the Italian capital's next mayor, with either a centre-left or a centre-right candidate running. Enrico Michetti, a radio presenter and lawyer, is supported by an alliance of the centre-right Forza Italia and the far-right Fratelli d'Italia (FdI), Matteo Salvini's right-wing Lega. Roberto Gualtieri, a history professor and former finance minister, is the candidate for the center-left Partito Democratico (PD).

The run-off, which will take place on October 17 and October 18, comes after there was no clear winner in Mayor polls two weeks ago. Rachele Mussolini, the granddaughter of Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, earned a second term as a city councillor in Rome in the October 3-4 municipal election last week. Standing for Fratelli d'Italia, she got more than 8,200 votes, the most of any candidate, and a significant rise over the 657 votes she received on the 2016 ballot.

Protest in Rome over 'Green Pass' turned violent, dozen detained

Fratelli d'Italia, led by Giorgia Meloni, is a descendant of the neo-fascist conservative MSI party (Italian Social Movement). The run-off comes amid political squabbles over the country's new "Green Pass," which requires all workers to be either double-vaccinated or have confirmation of a negative Covid-19 test or recent recovery.  Employees who refuse to comply risk being suspended without pay. The system is already in place for all medical personnel as well as in schools.

Protests flared and became violent in Rome on October 9 in response to the COVID-19 pass, which went into effect on Friday. It is Europe's most stringent such regulation for workers. The national trade unions of Italy conducted a rally against fascist movements in the city's San Giovanni square on Saturday. Thousands of people clashed in Rome over the weekend as they protested plans to extend Italy's COVID permit to all businesses beginning October 15. Following the Saturday march, a dozen people were detained or jailed, including the leaders of the far-right Forza Nuova party, Giuliano Castellino and Roberto Fiore. Members of the party have been accused of inciting hostility and violence. Despite the fact that the march was authorised, demonstrators clashed with police and destroyed the headquarters of the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), a trade union. Prime Minister Mario Draghi condemned the violence and stated that the government would continue its commitment to complete the COVID-19 immunisation programme.

(With inputs from CNN)

Image: AP