| Election Name: | 2005 Apulian regional election |
| Country: | Apulia |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2000 Apulian regional election |
| Previous Year: | 2000 |
| Next Election: | 2010 Apulian regional election |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
| Seats For Election: | All 70 seats to the Regional Council of Apulia |
| Election Date: | 3–4 April 2005 |
| Leader1: | Nichi Vendola |
| Party1: | Communist Refoundation Party |
| Color1: | EF3E3E |
| Alliance1: | The Union (political coalition) |
| Last Election1: | 22 seats, 43.5% |
| Seats1: | 42 |
| Seat Change1: | 20 |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,165,536 |
| Percentage1: | 49.8% |
| Swing1: | 6.3% |
| Leader2: | Raffaele Fitto |
| Party2: | Forza Italia |
| Alliance2: | House of Freedoms |
| Color2: | 0A6BE1 |
| Last Election2: | 38 seats, 54.0% |
| Seats2: | 28 |
| Seat Change2: | 10 |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,151,405 |
| Percentage2: | 49.2% |
| Swing2: | 5.8% |
| President | |
| Posttitle: | Elected President |
| Before Election: | Raffaele Fitto |
| Before Party: | FI |
| After Election: | Nichi Vendola |
| After Party: | PRC |
The Apulian regional election of 2005 took place on 3–4 April 2005.
Nichi Vendola (Communist Refoundation Party) defeated incumbent Raffaele Fitto (Forza Italia). The success of Vendola came somewhat unexpected. In a Southern Italian Region, expected to be morally conservative, Vendola, a communist and homosexual, defeated Fitto, a conservative Christian democrat. Vendola was the first candidate ever to be appointed by its coalition through a primary election instead of agreements between parties. A defeat of Vendola might have resulted in a cancellation of the primary election of The Union for choosing the candidate for Prime Minister in the 2006 general election.
The centre-left candidate was chosen through primary elections, which were won by surprise by Nichi Vendola.[1]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRC | 40,358 | 50.9 | |||
| DL | 38,676 | 49.1 | |||
| Total | 79,034 | 100.0 | |||
| Candidates | Votes | % | Seats | Parties | Votes | % | Seats | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nichi Vendola | 1,165,536 | 49.84 | 1 | |||||||
| Democrats of the Left | 356,369 | 16.63 | 14 | |||||||
| 208,806 | 9.74 | 8 | ||||||||
| Communist Refoundation Party | 109,146 | 5.09 | 4 | |||||||
| Italian Democratic Socialists | 86,096 | 4.01 | 3 | |||||||
| Union of Democrats for Europe | 70,293 | 3.28 | 3 | |||||||
| The Apulian Spring | 55,335 | 2.58 | 3 | |||||||
| Party of Italian Communists | 48,141 | 2.24 | 2 | |||||||
| Autonomist Socialists – PSDI – MRE | 47,511 | 2.22 | 2 | |||||||
| Italy of Values | 38,120 | 1.78 | 1 | |||||||
| Federation of the Greens | 33,309 | 1.55 | 1 | |||||||
| United Democratic Christians | 8,397 | 0.39 | – | |||||||
| Pensioners' Party | 3,959 | 0.18 | – | |||||||
| Total | 1,065,752 | 49.69 | 41 | |||||||
| Raffaele Fitto | 1,151,405 | 49.24 | 1 | |||||||
| Forza Italia | 381,663 | 17.80 | 10 | |||||||
| National Alliance | 259,563 | 12.10 | 7 | |||||||
| Apulia First of All | 196,281 | 9.15 | 5 | |||||||
| Union of Christian and Centre Democrats | 167,038 | 7.79 | 4 | |||||||
| New PSI – PRI | 48,109 | 2.24 | 1 | |||||||
| Social Idea Movement | 10,099 | 0.47 | – | |||||||
| Total | 1.062.753 | 49.55 | 27 | |||||||
| Gianfelice Galassi | 10,973 | 0.47 | – | Social Alternative | 9,368 | 0.44 | – | |||
| Luca Scalabrini | 10,477 | 0.45 | – | Christian Democracy | 6,791 | 0.32 | – | |||
| Total candidates | 2,338,391 | 100.00 | 2 | Total parties | 2,144,664 | 100.00 | 68 | |||
| Source: Ministry of the Interior – Historical Archive of Elections | ||||||||||