Special Election in Reggio Calabria: Low Turnout, Centre-Right Ahead
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Polling stations have closed in Reggio Calabria, Italy, after a by-election was held to fill an empty parliamentary seat.
Vote counting is now underway, and early results show centre-right candidate Roscioli in the lead.
The election is a suppletive vote, which is the Italian term for a special election held to replace a member of parliament who has left their seat.
According to reports, voter turnout has dropped sharply and reached record low levels.
This low turnout was seen not only in Reggio Calabria but also in the Naples area, where a similar by-election took place.
Analysts often see low turnout as a sign that voters feel less interested in smaller, local elections compared to national ones.
The centre-right coalition, a group of political parties working together, appears to be performing strongly so far.
News outlets are following the vote count live, updating the public as new numbers come in.
Full and final results are expected once all votes have been counted and confirmed.
The outcome will determine who represents Reggio Calabria in the Italian parliament.
Vocabulary10 words
- by-election
- a small election held for one empty seat
- suppletive
- the Italian word for a special replacement election
- voter turnout
- the number of people who vote, usually shown as a percentage
- centre-right
- a political group with certain shared ideas
- coalition
- several groups working together toward one goal
- candidate
- a person trying to win an election
- parliamentary seat
- a position in the national parliament
- count
- the process of checking votes
- analysts
- people who study and explain events
- outcome
- the final result of something
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Quiz
Answer key
1. To fill an empty parliamentary seat 2. It dropped to record low levels 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Polling stations have closed in Reggio Calabria after a _____ was held.
Vote counting is now underway, showing candidate _____ in the lead.
The election is a _____ vote, a special replacement election.
Voter _____ has dropped sharply, reaching record low levels.
Low turnout was also seen in the _____ area.
Analysts see low turnout as a sign of less interest in _____ elections.
The centre-right _____ appears to be performing strongly.
News outlets are following the vote _____ live.
Full _____ are expected once all votes are confirmed.
The _____ will decide who represents Reggio Calabria in parliament.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think fewer people vote in by-elections compared to general elections?
- How important do you think a single parliamentary seat is for a country?
- Do you think low voter turnout is a problem for democracy? Why or why not?
- What could be done to encourage more people to vote in smaller elections?
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