“It's definitely a defeat for us. Losing Rome and Turin is a blow, it's painful,” Matteo Orfini, president of the Democratic Party (PD), said in an interview with La Stampa daily.
The city elections have been a closely-watched barometer of Italian politics.
Renzi's political strength has weakened in recent months. Rome in particular is seen by some analysts as a springboard for general elections due in 2018.
Sunday's polls saw the populist Five Star Movement (M5S) sweep to power in the capital and in the northern industrial city of Turin.
Virginia Raggi, 37, was elected as Rome's first female mayor, trouncing the PD candidate, Roberto Giachetti, in a 67-to-33 percent share of the vote.
The anti-establishment M5S also claimed control of Turin, where another woman, Chiara Appendino, 31, took 54.56 percent, ousting the long-serving mayor, Piero Fassino, a PD heavyweight.
The PD had some satisfaction by winning in Milan, Italy's principal economic hub, against a centre-right opponent.
Orfini said the results from the various cities bore out M5S's tactics, of forging local alliances with rightwing or far-right candidates to gain the votes of their supporters for the second round of voting.
The PD's leadership is to meet on Friday to analyse the outcome of the elections, Orfini said.
POLITICS
Italy’s ruling party says Rome defeat was ‘painful’ blow
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's party on Monday said the outcome of municipal elections was a "painful" blow after Italy's populist movement notched up spectacular gains.
WAR IN UKRAINE
Italy says Russia media ban cannot erase effects of ‘illegal war’
Italy on Tuesday condemned Russia for blocking access to dozens of European media outlets, saying it would not erase the effects of a "violent, devastating and illegal war" in Ukraine.
The foreign ministry described the ban as “unjustified”, saying the Italian outlets affected – the broadcasters RAI and La7 and newspapers La Repubblica and La Stampa – had “always provided objective and impartial information on the Ukraine conflict”.
It said Russia’s attacks in Ukraine against civilians, cities and the energy network “will not be erased by the bans imposed on media and journalists in Italy and around the world who continue to follow devastating and inhumane activities with professionalism and independence”.
READ ALSO: Italy warns against ‘rash’ moves over arms to Ukraine
“The decision of the Russian Federation is one that does not remove or lessen the effects of a violent, devastating and illegal war,” it said.
Italy this year holds the rotating presidency of the G7 group of wealthy nations.
Russia said on Tuesday that it was blocking access to dozens of European media outlets, including AFP websites, in response to an EU broadcasting bans on several Russian outlets imposed last month.
The announcement comes after the European Union unveiled a ban on four Kremlin-controlled media outlets in May, accusing them of being “instrumental in bringing forward and supporting” Moscow’s Ukraine offensive.
Please whitelist us to continue reading.
Member comments