As Matteo Renzi faces setbacks, Rome set to get its first female mayor

The Eternal City has been run by emperors, barbarians, popes and dictators, but never by a woman. That looks set to change in mayoral elections on Sunday with Ms Virginia Raggi from the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement in pole position to wrest control of the capital from Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s centre-left Democratic Party (PD).

Defeat in Rome would be a blow for Mr Renzi, but worse could be in store for him with his party also at risk of losing control of Italy’s financial capital Milan in this weekend’s run-off ballots, and facing difficult battles in Turin and Bologna.

Mr Renzi has said the results will have no bearing on his government and has instead staked his political future on a referendum in October on plans to drastically curb the powers of the Upper House or Senate.

However, a bad showing on Sunday will put him under intense pressure within a party already divided, and suggest he could find it hard to sell his reform package to the nation.

With the economy struggling to grow after years of austerity, Italians punished the PD in the first round of municipal voting on June 5. Mr Renzi has not taken part in campaigning since then, a sign that PD candidates do not view him as an electoral asset.