Marche regional elections, Acquaroli: "Today's the date: either September 21st or 28th."

Ancona, July 21, 2025 – The date of the next regional elections in the Marche region will be officially announced this afternoon, following the Regional Council meeting convened by the Region. This was confirmed by President Francesco Acquaroli, who was in Ancona this morning for the presentation of the 'Pilgrims of Hope' project in collaboration with the Episcopal Conference of the Marche. "This afternoon we will have a council meeting," the governor of Macerata declared, "and at the end we will announce the exact date: in reality, the choice is between September 21 and 28. We are making final assessments to inform the people of the Marche of the official election date."

The governor reiterated that there have been no significant changes compared to the hypotheses circulating in recent days: "It's only a one-week difference," he explained. "We'll make a final assessment this afternoon, but the numbers are still the same." The atmosphere of anticipation was eased by a few jokes with the reporters present. When reminded that in addition to the religious project, there are also the upcoming elections ("President, in addition to Pellegrini on the Road, there are also elections..."), Acquaroli smiled: "Thanks for reminding me."

Marche, Ricci vs. Acquaroli point-to-point challenge

There are officially five candidates, but a runoff has already begun between incumbent Francesco Acquaroli of the Brothers of Italy party, who will soon complete his first term as governor, and Matteo Ricci , a member of the European Parliament for the Democratic Party and former mayor of Pesaro. While the center-left initially started strong, placing itself ahead in the polls, in recent weeks it appears to have lost ground, due to a strong comeback by the center-right.

Ricci will be supported by the Five Star Movement, the Green-Left Alliance, and Italia Viva. Azione, however, will not participate in the Marche regional elections, as party leader Carlo Calenda has stated that the former mayor of Pesaro lacks "the political depth and moral strength to maintain a firm footing on the values and policies needed by the Marche," in addition to the fact that "I won't vote for anyone who says 'no' to the waste-to-energy plant."

Ruggeri (M5S) and criticism of Acquaroli's delay

A few days ago, the Five Star Movement (M5S) group leader in the regional council, Marta Ruggeri, expressed her concerns about Governor Acquaroli 's delay in choosing the election date: "Acquaroli's silence is worrying and unacceptable on a democratic and institutional level," the statement was read overnight. "There are only a few months left until the legislative term expires, yet uncertainty continues to reign . It's fair to ask: what is the President afraid of? Why avoid providing a clear and transparent answer to the citizens of the Marche, who have the right to know when they can cast their vote?"

And again: "This is not a secondary issue," Ruggeri concluded. "Respect for democratic rules also requires transparency regarding the electoral calendar. Any delay fuels the suspicion that there is a desire to play it safe, managing the time for their own gain, rather than respecting political debate and the institutions. We demand that the election date be communicated immediately. The citizens of the Marche region deserve respect, seriousness, and clarity ." A few days ago, it was confirmed that the regional elections will be held at the end of September; the exact weekend will be announced this afternoon.