# 2009 Bologna municipal election

Municipal elections were held in Bologna on 6–7 and 21–22 June 2009. The centre-left candidate Flavio Delbono was elected mayor at the second round with 60.77% of votes.

## Background

The centre-left primary elections took place on 13 and 14 December 2008. The Vice-President of Emilia-Romagna, Flavio Delbono, received 49.73% of the 24,920 votes cast in the primary; Maurizio Cevenini received 23.29%, Virginio Merola received 21.44% and Andrea Forlani received 5.1%. On 9 January 2009, Delbono announced that he would be resigning as vice-president of Emilia-Romagna and regional assessor in order to focus on his election campaign.
The other candidates were Alfredo Cazzola, former owner of Virtus Bologna and Bologna F.C., who was the candidate of The People of Freedom and Northern League, and Giorgio Guazzaloca, a former mayor of Bologna.

## Voting system

The voting system is used for all mayoral elections in Italy, in the city with a population higher than 15,000 inhabitants. Under this system voters express a direct choice for the mayor or an indirect choice voting for the party of the candidate's coalition. If no candidate receives 50% of votes, the top two candidates go to a second round after two weeks. This gives a result whereby the winning candidate may be able to claim majority support, although it is not guaranteed.
The election of the City Council is based on a direct choice for the candidate with a preference vote: the candidate with the majority of the preferences is elected. The number of the seats for each party is determined proportionally.

## Main parties and leaders

| Political force or alliance | Constituent lists | Leader |
| Bologna Free City | Bologna Free City | Valerio Monteventi |
| Citizens for Bologna | Citizens for Bologna | Gianfranco Pasquino |
| Centre-left coalition | Democratic Party | Flavio Delbono |
| Centre-left coalition | Italy of Values | Flavio Delbono |
| Centre-left coalition | Left for Bologna (incl. PS and SD) | Flavio Delbono |
| Centre-left coalition | PRC – PdCI | Flavio Delbono |
| Centre-left coalition | Federation of the Greens | Flavio Delbono |
| Centre-left coalition | Civic lists | Flavio Delbono |
| Five Star Movement | Five Star Movement | Giovanni Favia |
| Guazzaloca For Bologna | Guazzaloca For Bologna (incl. UDC) | Giorgio Guazzaloca |
| Centre-right coalition | The People of Freedom | Alfredo Cazzola |
| Centre-right coalition | Northern League | Alfredo Cazzola |
| Centre-right coalition | Civic lists | Alfredo Cazzola |

## Results

Summary of the 2009 Bologna City Council election results :
| Candidates | Candidates | I round | I round | II round | II round | Leaders seats | Parties | Votes | % | Seats |
| Candidates | Candidates | Votes | % | Votes | % | Leaders seats | Parties | Votes | % | Seats |
| | Flavio Delbono | 112,127 | 49.40 | 112,789 | 60.77 | – | Democratic Party | 85,262 | 39.91 | 24 |
| | Flavio Delbono | 112,127 | 49.40 | 112,789 | 60.77 | – | Italy of Values | 9,456 | 4.43 | 2 |
| | Flavio Delbono | 112,127 | 49.40 | 112,789 | 60.77 | – | Left for Bologna | 4,554 | 2.13 | 1 |
| | Flavio Delbono | 112,127 | 49.40 | 112,789 | 60.77 | – | Communist Refoundation Party – Party of Italian Communists | 3,894 | 1.82 | 1 |
| | Flavio Delbono | 112,127 | 49.40 | 112,789 | 60.77 | – | Bologna 2014 | 1,980 | 0.93 | – |
| | Flavio Delbono | 112,127 | 49.40 | 112,789 | 60.77 | – | Federation of the Greens | 1,831 | 0.86 | – |
| | Flavio Delbono | 112,127 | 49.40 | 112,789 | 60.77 | – | Bologna to the Centre | 878 | 0.41 | – |
| | Alfredo Cazzola | 66,056 | 29.10 | 72,798 | 39.23 | 1 | The People of Freedom | 33,134 | 15.51 | 6 |
| | Alfredo Cazzola | 66,056 | 29.10 | 72,798 | 39.23 | 1 | Alfredo Cazzola for Mayor | 21,106 | 9.88 | 4 |
| | Alfredo Cazzola | 66,056 | 29.10 | 72,798 | 39.23 | 1 | Northern League | 6,705 | 3.14 | 1 |
| | Alfredo Cazzola | 66,056 | 29.10 | 72,798 | 39.23 | 1 | Third Pole of the Centre – Christian Democracy | 470 | 0.22 | – |
| | Alfredo Cazzola | 66,056 | 29.10 | 72,798 | 39.23 | 1 | Co.Da.Cons (A) | 396 | 0.19 | – |
| | Giorgio Guazzaloca | 28,785 | 12.68 | – | – | 1 | Giorgio Guazzaloca for Bologna | 26,099 | 12.22 | 5 |
| | Giovanni Favia | 7,428 | 3.27 | – | – | 1 | Five Star Civic List | 6,450 | 3.02 | – |
| (A) ||||
| | Gianfranco Pasquino | 4,448 | 1.96 | – | – | – | Citizens for Bologna | 3,704 | 1.73 | – |
| | Valerio Monteventi | 3,625 | 1.60 | – | – | – | Bologna Free City | 3,567 | 1.67 | – |
| | Giuseppina Tedde | 1,094 | 0.48 | – | – | – | Other City | 973 | 0.46 | – |
| | Michele Terra | 893 | 0.39 | – | – | – | Workers' Communist Party | 841 | 0.39 | – |
| | Alessandro Mazzanti | 728 | 0.32 | – | – | – | Tricolour Flame | 672 | 0.31 | – |
| | Stefano Morselli | 601 | 0.26 | – | – | – | Stefano Morselli for Mayor | 550 | 0.26 | – |
| | Giulio Tam | 458 | 0.20 | – | – | – | New Force | 435 | 0.20 | – |
| | Leonardo Tucci | 414 | 0.18 | – | – | – | 9 United Neighborhoods for Bologna | 372 | 0.17 | – |
| | Michele Laganà | 326 | 0.14 | – | – | – | Future Bologna | 316 | 0.15 | – |
| Total | Total | 226,983 | 100.00 | 185,587 | 100.00 | 3 | | 213,645 | 100.00 | 43 |
| Source: Ministry of the Interior |||||||||||
Popular vote
PD
39.91%
PdL
15.51%
GpB
12.22%
ACS
9.88%
IdV
4.43%
LN
3.14%
M5S
3.02%
SEL
2.13%
PRC–PdCI
1.82%
Others
7.94% :
Mayor (1st round)
Delbono
49.40%
Cazzola
29.10%
Guazzaloca
12.68%
Favia
3.27%
Pasquino
1.96%
Monteventi
1.60%
Others
1.99% :
Mayor (2nd round)
Delbono
60.77%
Cazzola
39.23% :