Partial results from Italy’s regional and municipal elections indicate that Premier Matteo Renzi's center-left Democratic Party (PD) is set to face a humiliating defeat in several regions.

Vote counts from just over 10 percent of precincts in the northwest region of Liguria by the Italian Interior Ministry on Monday indicated that the Democrats were behind a center-right candidate.

Results also showed that a left-wing candidate supported by a rebellious PD faction has drained votes away from Renzi's candidate for Liguria governor. The faction is reportedly annoyed by what it calls the premier’s overbearing leadership style.

However, the Democrats are anticipated to win several other governorships in Italy where seven regions out of 20 voted for governors on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the anti-immigrant Northern League, which has teamed up with former prime minister Silvio  Berlusconi's candidate in Liguria, is apparently consolidating gains in its Veneto stronghold in Italy’s northeast.

The Sunday elections were Italy’s first since last year when Renzi’s PD won with over 40 percent of the votes.

Twenty million people were eligible to elect governors in seven regions, as well as the mayors for over 700 municipalities.

Results have shown that 64 percent of the eligible voters cast their ballots in the municipal elections while turnout stood at between 49 and 56 percent in the regional vote.

Currently, the left governs five of the seven regions that held elections, one is led by the Northern League and another by Berlusconi's Forza Italia.

MR/NN/HRB