- The granddaughter of Benito Mussolini, 47-year-old Rachele Mussolini, has won a second term as city councilor in Rome’s municipal council.
- Rachele Mussolini received over 8,200 votes in the municipal election held on 3rd and 4th October, more than any other candidate.
- In an interview with La Repubblica newspaper published on Wednesday, Mussolini said she wanted nothing to do with the “burden” of her family name, stressing she has “many left-wing friends.”
ROME, Italy: The granddaughter of Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, 47-year-old Rachele Mussolini, has won a second term on Rome’s municipal council.
Standing for the far-right ‘Brothers of Italy’ party, Mussolini received over 8,200 votes in the municipal election held on 3rd and 4th October, more than any other candidate and 657 more than she received in the previous ballot in 2016.
In an interview with La Repubblica newspaper published on Wednesday, Mussolini said she wanted nothing to do with the “burden” of her family name, stressing she has “many left-wing friends.”
“In the past, I was interviewed only because of my family name. During my last term, they started asking about the initiatives I promoted on the city council. I have worked hard,” she said.
“I learned to live with my surname since I was a child. At school, they used to point at me, but then Rachele emerged and the person I am prevailed over the surname,” she added.
On Sunday and Monday, Italy’s four largest cities, Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin, as well as more than 1,000 smaller communities, held mayoral elections.
In Milan, Naples and Bologna, centre-left candidates are poised to win outright, but a run-off will take place on 17th and 18th October to elect Rome’s mayor, with right-wing candidate Enrico Michetti receiving 30 percent of the votes, while center-left Roberto Gualtieri received 27 percent.