Positano’s political flashpoint

Positano’s 2026 mayoral race is turning on who gets to live there as much as who gets to govern it. (newsbreak.com) Recent reporting says the Amalfi Coast town draws nearly 1 million visitors a year, even as local debate hardens around overtourism, housing access, and municipal controls. Positano’s list-building is already underway ahead of Italy’s spring 2026 local elections. (newsbreak.com) (positanonews.it) Positano’s current mayor is Giuseppe Guida, elected on September 20, 2020, on the civic list L’Alba della Libertà. Local reporting on March 24 said Guida’s camp and the opposition group SuPerPositano were both organizing slates, with former mayor Michele De Lucia discussed as a possible candidate. (comune.positano.sa.it) (positanonews.it) The fight is tied to a town with fewer full-time residents than many city blocks. Positano’s resident population fell from 3,886 in 2001 to 3,677 in 2024, according to data compiled from the Italian national statistics agency. (tuttitalia.it) Tourism is built into the town’s tax system. Positano’s tourist tax applies from April 1 through October 31 and covers hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, holiday apartments, and short-term rentals, including properties rented under Italy’s brief-let rules. (comune.positano.sa.it) That means the housing argument is not abstract: the same apartments can function as homes for residents or as seasonal accommodation for visitors. The municipal rules also make lodging operators and booking intermediaries responsible for collecting and remitting the tax. (comune.positano.sa.it) The oversight issue has sharpened because illegal building and land-use cases have kept surfacing around Positano. In January 2026, local media reported the seizure of a fully unauthorized structure in central Positano, and in May 2025 ANSA reported a seizure tied to alleged planning and landscape violations at Villa Treville. (positanonews.it) (ansa.it) Guida’s administration has also tried to present itself as tougher on enforcement. In March, local reporting said the town had issued five demolition orders in February and had begun cleanup work on a property previously confiscated from criminal activity. (positanonews.it 1) (positanonews.it 2) Candidates have not yet settled the race, but the lines are already visible: a tourism economy that fills rooms, a shrinking resident base, and a town hall under pressure to show it can police what gets built and rented. In Positano, the campaign is now running through stairways, guest rooms, and the few homes locals can still afford to keep. (positanonews.it) (tuttitalia.it) (comune.positano.sa.it)