Democratic Party (Italy) leadership election, 2017

Democratic Party leadership election, 2017

← 2013 30 April 2017
Nominee Matteo Renzi Andrea Orlando Michele Emiliano Party Democratic Party Democratic Party Democratic Party Delegate count 700 212 88 Popular vote 1,257,091 362,691 197,630 Percentage 69.2% 20.0% 10.9%
Primary election results map. Azure denotes provinces with a Renzi plurality and Green denotes those with a Emiliano plurality.
Secretary before election Matteo Orfini (Acting) Elected Secretary Matteo Renzi

Matteo Orfini (Acting)

Matteo Renzi

The 2017 Democratic Party leadership election was an open primary election held on 30 April 2017. The three candidates were Matteo Renzi, former Prime Minister and party secretary until February 2017, Michele Emiliano, President of Apulia, and Andrea Orlando, the Minister of Justice. Renzi was elected by a landslide 70%, and appointed Maurizio Martina as his deputy secretary.

Candidates were required to file their candidacies by 6 March 2017.

Local and provincial conventions then take place all around the country, where party members vote on the candidates for secretary. Under party rules, the candidates who receive the support of at least the 15% of voting party members in local conventions, or the three most voted candidates above 5% of the vote, qualify for the second round of the race and have the chance to present their platform at the national convention.

The candidates who will run in an open primary will be declared at the national convention, which will take place on 30 April. Voters will also elect the national assembly of the party and the regional secretaries and assemblies. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a run-off between the two candidates with the most votes will take place in the national assembly, scheduled within two weeks after the primary election.

After constitutional reforms had passed both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate multiple times, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced that he would hold a constitutional referendum on 4 December 2016 to seek approval for the changes; whilst the reform was approved by a simple majority of the Parliament, it did not achieve the two thirds necessary to avoid a referendum, as per Article 138 of the Italian Constitution.