Roundup: Italians to choose mayors in major cities, with key runoffs in Rome, Milan

Italians were all set to face a tense second round of local elections on Sunday, when they would choose the next mayors in all of the major cities across the country.

About 8.6 million people were eligible to cast their ballot on June 19, and the run offs will take place in 126 municipalities where none of the candidates has exceeded 50 percent of the vote in the first round held on June 5.

All eyes will be on Italy's two key metropolitan cities, Rome and Milan, on Sunday. The mayoral race in the Italian capital was seen as particularly relevant, since its final result might have political repercussion at national level, affecting the endurance of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's center-left cabinet.

Indeed, candidate of anti-establishment, Eurosceptic Five Star Movement (M5S) Virginia Raggi took a big lead in Rome, reaching 35.26 percent in the first round. She would compete with center-left contender Roberto Giachetti, who belongs to Renzi's Democratic Party (PD). Giachetti took 24.91 percent in the first round.

The M5S capitalized on the growing disaffection Roman citizens showed due to recent mafia-related corruption scandals, lasting poor administration, and inefficient public services. With a significant 10-percentage-point lead over her direct rival, Raggi was credited by opinion polls as the most likely winner. In this case, she would be Rome's first female mayor ever.

The run off in the northern city of Milan would provide another crucial test for ruling PD party, and consequently for the cabinet. PD candidate Giuseppe Sala, chief of 2015 Milan Expo, would face center-right rival Stefano Parisi, and the final outcome would be much more uncertain. In fact, the two rivals were neck-to-neck: Sala took 41.69 percent in the first round, while Parisi reached 40.77 percent.

A loss in Milan, the country's economic and financial hub, would be a blow for Renzi and the Democratic Party, especially if combined with a negative result most analysts have forecasted in Rome.

In Turin, incumbent PD mayor Piero Fassino would face M5S rival Chiara Appendino, yet counting on a large lead: they took 41.83 percent and 30.92 percent in the first round, respectively.

In traditional leftist stronghold Bologna, the PD candidate was expected to easily win the run off against a rival from anti-immigrant Northern League party.

In Naples, Italy's third-largest city, the PD failed even to make a run off ballot. Incumbent leftist mayor Luigi De Magistris will face center-right Gianni Lettieri, after taking 42.82 percent of the vote and 24 percent, respectively.

Renzi played down the relevance of this local vote, saying it would not impact on his government. However, a poor result of the PD in the big cities would be a worrying signal for the cabinet, just few months ahead of a crucial referendum on a constitutional reform in October on which Renzi has put his role as prime minister at stake. Endit