The End of an Era and the Autonomy Test: The Five-Way Race for the Veneto Region

The regional elections in 23 - 24 November 2025 will mark the close of an era for the Veneto region. After 15 years of unchallenged governance, the popular President Luca Zaia is barred from standing again, leaving behind a crucial, unresolved matter: the unfulfilled pledge of Regional Autonomy.

The demand for self-governance is a key political issue, underscored by the 2017 autonomy referendum organised by Zaia, which saw massive participation (68% turnout) and a near-unanimous result (99% Yes). Despite this clear display of popular will, no tangible progress has been achieved, resulting in a profound sense of political betrayal.

The Centre-Right candidate is Alberto Stefani, a Deputy and Deputy Secretary of the Lega party. Stefani is tasked with managing the ambiguous inheritance of the Lega, which has evolved from an autonomist force ("Lega Nord") into a nationalist Italian right-wing movement. Whilst attempting to present himself as a continuity of the "Zaia System," he is perceived by many as complicit in the shift that abandoned the regional cause.

Opposing him is the Centre-Left and Five Star Movement coalition, led by Giovanni Manildo, the former Mayor of Treviso. Their strategy focuses on exploiting the outgoing administration's weaknesses: the management of Healthcare, which is plagued by long waiting lists, and the high costs of major infrastructure projects. Like the Centre-Right, Manildo’s coalition is comprised of national parties that tend to sideline the issue of Autonomy, but which enjoy an incredibly superior media visibility compared to the territorial movements.

This scenario has created space for key alternatives seeking to capture the disillusioned electorate. Riccardo Szumski (Resistere Veneto) and Fabio Bui (Popolari per il Veneto) are prominent among those aiming to gather the "orphans" of the old Lega Nord. Szumski’s movement represents the frustration over autonomy and attracts some anti-vaccination voters, while Bui proposes a long-term, Bavaria-inspired regionalist project. Completing the line-up is Marco Rizzo, running on a communist platform, presenting himself as an ideological alternative to modern progressivism.

The Veneto elections are therefore more than a simple clash between national blocs. They serve as a vital test on the region's political identity and the resilience of its autonomist demands in the face of increasingly centralised Italian politics.

Alessandro Galante