Italy's centre-left "Olive" coalition, badly beaten two weeks ago in a general election, regained lost ground in weekend mayoral elections. It defeated the centre-right candidates of Mr Silvio Berlusconi, prime minister-elect, in Rome, Turin and Naples.
More than 70 per cent of the six million electorate turned out to vote in the second round of mayoral elections in 77 cities, which saw the centre-left score important wins in Rome, Turin and Naples.
Even though all three cities have been held by the centre-left since 1993, this weekend's victories were rendered all the sweeter by the fact that Mr Berlusconi had supported all three beaten centre-right candidates.
Furthermore, two of the defeated candidates, Mr Antonio Tajani in Rome and Antonio Martusciello in Naples, are both closely associated with Mr Berlusconi. Mr Tajani once served as spokesman for Mr Berlusconi, while Mr Martu sciello is a former advertising manager in the prime minister-elect's Fininvest Group.
Senior centre-left politicians underlined the Rome and Naples results, where two prominent centre-left figures, the former Democratic Left party secretary, Mr Walter Veltroni, and former minister for the interior, Ms Rosa Russo Iervolino, were the respective winners.
Mr Veltroni's win represented a significant vote of confidence for the centre-left, given that he takes over as mayor from Mr Francesco Rutelli, the man who led the beaten Olive coalition in the general election two weeks ago: