Centre-right governor candidate Paolo Truzzu was in the lead on 47% after the ballots from around 30% of the voting sections had been counted in important regional elections Sardinia on Monday.
Alessandra Todde, the candidate for the so-called 'broad field' alliance between the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and the populist left-wing 5-Star Movement (M5S), had 44% and was some 5,000 votes behind.
Independent candidate Renato Soru, the former PD governor of Sardinia and a noted web entrepreneur, was some way back in third place with around 8% for his Sardinian Coalition, followed by Lucia Chessa of Sardigna R-esiste on 1%.
The elections are a key test of public sentiment ahead of this year's European elections.
Todde, who was neck and neck with Truzzu in opinion polls, is seen as a key indicator as to whether the PD-M5S alliance has a chance of beating the dominant right-centre-right coalition of Premier Giorgia Meloni's right wing Brothers of Italy (FdI), Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini's rightwingLeague party, and Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister AntonioTajani's centre-right post Berlusconi Forza Italia (FI) party.
The turnout was down slightly at 52.4% compared to 53% inelections in the region five years ago.
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