Virginia Raggi Just Made History as Rome's First Female Mayor

Impact

On Sunday, 37-year-old lawyer and politician Virginia Raggi was elected the mayor of Rome, a moment that marked two firsts in the Eternal City's almost 3,000-year-old history: She's Rome's youngest and its first female mayor.

"Finally Rome has a woman as mayor," Raggi wrote on her Facebook page. "This is a historic moment. At a time when equal opportunities are still a myth, this victory is of extraordinary value."

Raggi and her populist Five Star Movement, which has campaigned for political transparency since 2009, carried 67% of the votes. Raggi campaigned on platforms to reduce political corruption, traffic and city waste, while improving public transportation with hybrid buses.

Fabio Frustaci/AP

Raggi has also promised to vote against Rome's Olympic bid and demand the Vatican pony up 400 million Euros in back taxes.

Raggi also said she was inspired to become a politician after she noticed how poor her city's infrastructure was, and how that put a strain on the day-to-day of Romans. 

"After the birth of my son, I found myself having to navigate the stroller between cars parked on sidewalks and through abandoned parks," she said.

ANDREAS SOLARO/Getty Images

Raggi's critics have cited her inexperience, adding that she only entered the political field in 2011, especially with the city buried in $14.7 billion of debt, according to the New York Times

To that, Raggi told the Guardian, "Experience in Italy belongs to the parties who have ruined Rome and the country."

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