(AGENPARL) – Mon 24 November 2025 Image
PRESS RELEASE
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Ref. CG088(2025)
Local elections in San Marino: orderly and well-managed, but with limited competitiveness
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is the political assembly representing local and regional governments across the 46 member States, responsible for promoting and monitoring local democracy.
Prior to election day, the Congress delegation held meetings on 22 November with key election stakeholders, including the election administration, authorities on the national and local levels, representatives of the media and civil society. The delegation also exchanged views with candidates running in the local elections.
On election day, three Congress teams visited all polling stations in the country’s nine municipalities, plus a special polling station at the State Hospital. They observed the electoral procedures from opening to closing and vote counting.
Commenting on the overall mission, Head of delegation Christa Carpelan noted:
“The 2025 Township Council elections in San Marino went smoothly and peacefully. Polling station staff showed strong commitment and preparedness, and ensured that the procedures were carried out with professionalism and diligence. The delegation underlined the work of the electoral administration to ensure that all voters could vote on election day, including by home voting, voting in a special polling station at the State Hospital, as well as free transportation on demand.
“The legal framework in San Marino is generally conducive to holding free and transparent elections. We particularly welcomed the fact that for the first time since the new Law on Township Council was adopted, long-term foreign residents were allowed to vote in the local elections.
“Candidates on local elections in San Marino run on civic lists, which are not directly affiliated with national political parties. According to the Congress interlocutors, the campaign was respectful and marked by high levels of mutual trust, and no cases of hate speech have been reported. However, the delegation was concerned by the low competitiveness of these elections, with only eleven lists running across the nine townships, limiting the choice of the voters. This decreasing number of persons standing as candidates reflects a broader trend of public disengagement from local elections, as brought to the attention of the Congress.
Furthermore, the delegation also deplored the absence of gender quotas and the fact that only one list was headed by a woman. Whereas few lists included a certain number of young candidates, more needs to be done to foster inclusive local political representation in San Marino.
Finally, the Congress suggests that San Marino adopt legislation regulating the rights and status of election observers, as San Marino’s legal framework remains silent on this matter, to ensure the transparency and accountability of elections.
Further to the Congress mission, a draft recommendation will be discussed at the Congress session in March 2026 in Strasbourg (France).
Composed of two chambers – the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions – and three committees, the Congress brings together 612 elected officials representing more than 130 000 local and regional authorities.
President of the Congress: Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Cecilia Dalman Eek (Sweden, SOC/G/PD).
Political groups: Group of Socialists, Greens and Progressive Democrats (SOC/G/PD), Group of the European Peoples Party (EPP/CCE), Independent Liberal and Democratic Group (ILDG), European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR).
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Council of Europe/Conseil de l’Europe, Avenue de l’Europe, Strasbourg, . 67000 France