2019 Piedmontese regional election
The 2019 Piedmontese regional election took place on 26 May 2019, the same day as the European Parliament election in Italy. The election was for all 50 members of the Regional Council of Piedmont, as well as for the President of the Region, who is also a member of the Council. Electoral system. The Regional Council is elected with a mixed system: 40 MPs are chosen with a form of proportional representation using a largest remainder method with open lists and a 3% threshold, while 10 MPs are elected with a block voting system with closed  lists. One seat is for the elected President, elected separately with a First-past-the-post system. Background. Sergio Chiamparino is the outgoing President of Piedmont for the Democratic Party, and although he initially stated in June to not run for a second term, he finally declared he will run in the next regional election. He supported the joint candidacy of Turin, Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo for the 2026 Winter Olympics before Chiara Appendino, mayor of Turin for the Five Star Movement, decided to withdraw from the bidding process. He supported the Turin–Lyon high-speed railway and criticized the  Conte Cabinet for its opposition, led mainly by the Five Star Movement. Finally, he advocated a referendum about the Turin-Lyon on the same day as the regional election and asked to the Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini to allow it, but both the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the Minister Salvini rejected the idea. The centre-right had some troubles to reach an agreement for a unitary candidate. Alberto Cirio, current MEP, was the candidate proposed by Forza Italia, but the League opposed his candidacy, proposing instead the entrepreneur Paolo Damilano. After the regional election in Basilicata, the  center-right agreed to the candidacy of Cirio. Alberto Cirio was the former deputy mayor for Alba and former regional assessor for Piedmont, he was elected for the European election of 2014 in the North-West Italy constituency with 35.388 votes and he backed the Turin–Lyon high-speed railway. In June 2018, along with 50 regional councillors, he was committed to stand trial on charges of misappropriating €20,000 of public funds, during 2008 and 2010, under the presidency of Mercedes Bresso. However, next February the Turin public prosecutor's office filed a motion to dismiss. The candidate for  the presidency of Piedmont for the Five Star Movements was voted on the party website, and with 1,540 votes Giorgio Bertola, outgoing regional councillor for Piedmont, won the primary election. He strongly opposed the Turin-Lyon and the referendum proposed by Chiamparino. Debates. There were seven presidential debates held across Piedmont (and, in one case, in Veneto) during the electoral campaign. Results. <onlyinclude> </onlyinclude>