Rome's first female mayor could quit three months into job after string of scandals and failures

Rome’s first female mayor is under threat after a catalogue of errors have dogged her first few months in office, leading to rumours she may be forced to resign.

Virginia Raggi was swept into office in June on a ticket of transparency and anti-corruption, part of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement founded in 2009 by comedian Beppe Grillo.

The 38-year-old lawyer, who has virtually no political experience, was handed the keys to the city with a promise to clean up the physical and moral filth of Rome.

But three months in, her tenure has been plagued by claims of ill-management, scandals involving her staff and a lack of perceived action on some of the city’s critical problems.

During the hot months of summer, rubbish bags piled up in the streets, partly due to the lack of waste disposal sites and the crippling debt the city’s sanitation service is experiencing.

Videos widely circulated online showed young children counting the number of rats by overflowing bins, with 16 vermin spotted by one.

And the situation deteriorated when Paola Muraro, who is responsible for the environment, marched into the city-run rubbish company demanding answers and a plan to fix the problem.

It later emerged she was an advisor to the company for a decade, and was under investigation for wrongdoing as part of a wider inquiry into waste management in Rome. At first Ms Raggi denied all knowledge of the investigation into one of her top team, but later admitted she had known for at least a month.

A string of high-profile resignations have also tainted her first steps in office, with her chief of staff quitting after provoking outrage with an eye-watering salary. The finance chief left after it was revealed he too was under investigation for abuse of office, while her budget advisor also quit, along with top managers of Rome’s transportation and waste departments.

A letter recently published in the Italian media, signed by 70 city hall managers, criticised Ms Raggi and pointed towards a lack of direction and paralysis gripping the administrative system.

Her appointment has been wrought with questions over her experience and qualifications for the job, with some within her own party criticising her political appointments.

In a bid to shore up support for the ailing Ms Raggi, founder Mr Grillo stepped in to drum up support and avoid an early resignation.

“We are demolishing a system that has been in place for 50 years. And the system is compact against us.

“Virginia will go on, and we’ll monitor,” The New York Times quoted Mr Grillo at a rally to endorse her.

The entire Five Star Movement is potentially under threat due to her performance, losing four percentage points in one week according to some polls.

The party, one of Europe’s biggest, has steadily risen in popularity to match Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party.

An upcoming referendum in November, which Mr Renzi has pledged to resign over if he loses, could be make or break for both parties.