Exit Polls Point To PD Hold In Tuscany, Good Result For Conte Gov't

Exit polls from Italy's series of regional elections point towards close races in Tuscany and Puglia, while the centre-right opposition looks on course to take Marche.

• Exit polls point towards voters approving a constitutional referendum reducing the number of parliamentarians. This has been a key aim of the governing 5-Star Movement for a number of years, and looks to have been approved with around 62% of the vote in favour to 38% opposed.
• In the most closely-watched regional contest, the centre-left coalition led by the Democratic Party (PD) appears to have held on in one of its historic strongholds in the 'red belt', Tuscany.
• In the southern region of Puglia the contest is too close to call, with both centre-right and centre-left presidential candidates winning between 36-40% of the vote according to the exit poll.
• In the central region of Marche, also in the socialist 'red belt', the centre-right coalition led by former Deputy PM Matteo Salvini's League appears to have taken power for the first time. Exit polls give the centre-right candidate Francesco Acquaroli between 47-51% of the vote, with centre-left candidate Marurizio Mangialardi between 34-38%.
• As expected, centre-right coalitions are set to retain power in Liguria and Veneto, while the PD-led coalition retained power in Campania with 56% of the vote. The League also made significant gains in the small Alpine region of the Aosta Valley.
• Should the exit polls accurately reflect the vote, the PD at the national level may see the result as something of a minor success, given how low expectations were. Retaining power in both Tuscany and Puglia would be a notable win for the embattled PD that sits as the junior partner in the Rome gov't.