Supporters of Italy’s centre-left Democratic party voted on Sunday to elect a new leader, as the group strives to re-establish itself as a credible force against the country’s populist government. The vote was seen as a litmus test for the strength of the party and came a year after its administration was ousted in an embarrassing defeat in general elections that led eventually to the formation of a coalition government between the far-right League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S). A million people were projected to vot, and there was a steady flow of people into voting booths in central Rome. Turnout was also reported to be strong elsewhere. Nicola Zingaretti, the president of the Lazio region, was widely tipped to win, but he would need to win 50% of the vote to secure the leadership. Polls on Friday put Zingaretti ahead with 47%, followed by Maurizio Martina, the party’s former caretaker leader, with 38% and Roberto Giachetti with 11%. Zingaretti, whose brother Luca plays the title role in the TV series Inspector Montalbano, has led Lazio since 2013. He is regarded as a moderate leftwinger capable of uniting the party. “In some areas, voting cards had run out by 11am,” Mattia Zunino, the leader of the Democratic party’s youth wing, said. “This is good news for us and participation, especially after 4 March last year, when we had a very bad election.” The Democratic party has been accused of losing touch with voters, something that paved the way for Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister and leader of the League, to thrive. The League leads in national polls, while support for the M5S has slipped. Supporters of the Democratic party argue that it must now unite, particularly ahead of the European elections in May, and convince people it is a strong alternative. “The important thing today is that there is a big participation,” said Mauro Valorani, a professor in Rome who backed Zingaretti. “We need to send a strong message that we don’t like what is going on in Italy and elsewhere in the EU. There is a far-right movement building across Europe that is much better organised than it used to be. Europe is a stronghold of democracy and we need to take care of this.” Giuseppe DeFinis, who also backed Zingaretti, said he voted “because the danger to Italy is Salvini”. “He represents an obscure part of fascism, hatred towards diversity.” Franco Pina, who voted for Martina, said the situation was “dangerous and xenophobic”. “The Democratic party leadership has made mistakes in the past, but now we must unite,” he said. The three main candidates were among the estimated 200,000 people who converged in Milan on Saturday for a demonstration against racism. “It’s important to underline this demonstration,” said Mattia Diletti, a politics professor at Rome’s Sapienza University. “Not because of the Democratic party, but because it shows that society is pushing back against Salvini’s thoughts and hegemony.” AFP.