The outgoing Mayor Francesco Rutelli, term-limited by the Italian law on local government, had resigned from his position on 8 January that year to run as the main candidate of The Olive Tree in the national general election.

Tajani rejected a formal alliance with the far-right parties and preferred a liberal-conservative coalition, like the one which supported Silvio Berlusconi in the general election.

[2] Thanks to the overlap with the general election, which saw a huge victor of the House of Freedoms alliance, the centre-right coalition unexpectedly succeeded to win a majority of votes across the city.

Despite the lower number of votes, the centre-left coalition obtained the majority of seats in the City Council thanks to the electoral system's mechanisms.

The previous circoscrizioni were renamed municipi and the direct election in two different rounds of a president to head each municipio was established.