Italy's ruling conservative coalition has predicted it could hold on to power for years after crushing the centre left in local elections that laid bare seemingly unbridgeable divisions between opposition parties.
The three main government parties won control of nine of the 13 main towns and cities up for grabs in the electoral cycle, which closed with run-off votes on May 28-29, leaving the centre left with three and a non-aligned civic list with one.
Among its victories, the conservative bloc seized control of the Adriatic port city of Ancona, which had been run by the left for 30 years, and confirmed its growing strength in a previous leftist stronghold, Tuscany, winning the mayorship in three major cities in the region -- Siena, Pisa and Massa.
"Tough challenges await us ... but if we remain focused and fully committed to our objectives, Italy will have a long period of political stability and economic growth," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement.
Italy has had almost 70 governments since World War Two, but Meloni believes her administration can hold together for more than one term - which would be a record for the euro zone's third largest economy.
"Voters appreciate the work of the government coalition. (This) result is a further incentive to continue our action," she said.
Meloni won power last September and has seen her popularity rise further since then, as opposition parties struggle to come to terms with their defeat.
The main centre-left group, the Democratic Party (PD), elected a new youthful leader, Elly Schlein, in February hoping that she would be able to reverse the decline, but she has failed to gain much traction with voters so far.
Adding to the disquiet, the centre-left mayoral candidate in Vicenza, the only town that the opposition managed to take from the conservatives in the runoff ballot, had asked Schlein not to campaign alongside him for fear it would cost him votes.
"Things went badly for us. It was a clear defeat," Schlein said, adding that unless all anti-government parties managed to work together they would not be able to defeat the right.
Whereas top politicians from the main government parties, the Brothers of Italy, Forza Italia and the League, campaigned together, the centre left failed to present a united face.
The 5-Star Movement, led by former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, forged electoral pacts with the PD in some cities, but Conte himself did not campaign with Schlein, looking to maintain an independent profile ahead of 2024 EU parliamentary elections.
"I am convinced that Meloni cannot be beaten with broad alliances but with a different vision for our country," Conte told reporters on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante; Editing by Alison Williams)
