Marino new Rome mayor as Alemanno concedes

Valeria Mazzanti was still digesting the news when she took the call from The Local and was waiting to hear more details on the outcome of the elections, but she did say she was "very happy". Mazzanti had accompanied her son to the polls on Sunday. 

Gianni Alemanno, from the centre-right People of Freedom party, called his rival to congratulate him after early results revealed Marino was set to emerge a clear winner.

Marino, a former surgeon, is ahead with 63.93 percent of the vote, compared to Alemanno’s 36.07 percent, according to the latest results published in La Stampa.

Alemanno said during a press conference that he had telephoned his successor to congratulate him. “I'll be totally loyal at the institutional level. This is the net result, but there was a low turnout,” he added.

Alemanno was also accompanied to the polls by his mother on Sunday. 

The turnout of voters for the first and second round of local elections has been lacklustre.

Only 67.63 percent voted in the first round at the end of May, compared to 78.9 percent in 2008, indicating a widespread disenchantment with the country’s politicians.