In the by-election, Fabio Roscioli, former treasurer of Forza Italia and a close associate of the Berlusconis, won with 51.02 per cent of the vote. “Saxony turned out to be a mere pebble,” said the Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The national spokesperson for Forza Italia said: “Forza Italia has won; the party was under attack from all sides but has demonstrated that it has a very firm grip on the region.”

Roscioli, Benedetto, Giannetta and Toscano are vying for the seat formerly held by Francesco Cannizzaro, who has since become mayor of the Calabrian town. The lack of interest in the by-election stems from the fact that the campaign for the upcoming general election has already begun.

A first-person account by the journalist snubbed by the PD for the Reggio Calabria by-election in September. The factional rivalries, the secrecy and the power games that continue despite the centre-left’s last three defeats