Prato 2024 administrative elections: date, candidates and polls

Prato 2024 administrative elections: the engines are warming up in view of the municipal elections which, barring surprises, should be merged as regards the first round of the European elections as already happened five years ago for a sort of election day.
Having now almost reached the end of his second mandate, the current mayor Matteo Biffoni will not be able to run again in the 2024 local elections, with the Democratic Party being able to choose its candidate through coalition primaries.
In all likelihood the third pole – Italia Viva, Azione and the Socialist Party – will go on their own, like the 5 Star Movement, while the centre-right will be united but has yet to choose the name of the candidate for mayor.
With the polls already trying to hypothesize the outcome of the vote, here is a guide to the Prato 2024 administrative elections with the probable date of the vote, the possible mayoral candidates and the dictates of the electoral law with which the citizens will elect their next mayor.
read also Local elections 2024, where do you vote? Date and Municipalities to vote Prato 2024 administrative elections: the date In 2019 the administrative elections in Prato were held on 26 May.
On the same day the polls opened throughout Italy for the European elections and in Piedmont also for the regional elections.
Even if an official communication from the government has not yet arrived, everything would suggest a merger in 2024 too: in this case the first round of the local elections in Prato would be held on Sunday 9 June.
As per the regulations, the possible run-off would be held two weeks later but it remains to be seen whether the government will maintain the double voting day – polls also open on Mondays until 3pm – as done recently.
The electoral law The electoral law of administrative elections in Italy is majority-based as regards the election of the mayor, while the distribution of councilors takes place in a proportional manner.
Since Prato is a municipality with more than 15,000 inhabitants, if no candidate in the first round obtains an absolute majority then a run-off will be held between the two most voted.
If there is a perfect head-to-head tie, the oldest candidate will be elected mayor.
To guarantee the formation of a solid majority and consequently substantial governability, the lists linked to the winning mayoral candidate will be allocated 60% of the seats; the remaining seats on the Council will then be assigned to the other lists in a proportional manner through the "D'Hondt method".
At the division of seats, a total of 32 councilors excluding the mayor will be elected.
All lists and groups of lists of candidates that have exceeded the threshold of 3% of valid votes will be admitted.
As regards the voting methods, in municipalities with more than 15,000 inhabitants, split voting is permitted, with the voter being able to express up to two preferences while maintaining gender equality (one man and one woman).
read also Local elections, mayoral election ballot: how it works and how to vote The candidates The city of Prato has always been considered a sort of fortress of the left and, also on the occasion of the 2024 local elections, the Democratic Party aims to maintain a dominance which has essentially lasted since 1946 with the exception of the five-year period led by Roberto Cennai between 2009 and 2014.
After ten years of Biffoni's administration, the Democratic Party must now look ahead with the first decision to be made which will be regarding any primaries for the choice of the candidate for mayor.
The hottest names are those of the local secretary Marco Biagioni and the current deputy mayor Simone Faggi, but first the Dems will also have to define what the centre-left coalition will be.
Barring any surprises at least in the first round, the Center – or third pole – will run separate from the centre-left: Italia Viva, Azione and the Socialist Party should be part of this coalition.
Also on its own is the 5 Star Movement which so far has not opened up to a real dialogue with the Democratic Party.
Jonathan Targetti is much courted, the entrepreneur who has been carrying out a sort of opposition to the Biffoni administration on social media for some time and who could eventually stand in the elections; at the window there would also be the center-right who still have to make their choice regarding the mayoral candidate.
The polls In view of the Prato 2024 local elections, Winpoll carried out an electoral poll on 3 December on behalf of Scenari Politici.
Third Pole 6% 5 Star Movement 8% Center-right 39% Center-left 47% As can be seen from the survey, at this moment in Prato the center-left would be clearly ahead without however managing to exceed the absolute majority threshold.