- Voting starts in Italy’s snap election
- Exit polls expected Sunday evening
This story was last updated at 05:00 UTC
Polls open
Italians began casting their votes on Sunday in what is being dubbed as a crucial election.
People aged 18 and above are voting for lawmakers in both the lower house Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, the upper house of parliament.
Balloting began at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and will run until 11 p.m., with the exit polls being released when voting ends.
But it may take hours before a precise seat count is available due to complex calculations required by a hybrid proportional/first-past-the-post electoral law.
The snap general election was triggered by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s resignation in July when the populist 5-Star Movement — one of the several parties in Draghi’s marquee coalition, which included leftists, right-wing and centrist parties — decided to withdraw its support for the prime minister’s economic aid decree.
Draghi, who was chosen by the president to form a government after the previous 5-Star-led government bundled, has said that he will not contest again.
The key election also comes at a time when Europe is reeling from the effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The vote could see a return to Italy’s most right-wing government since World War II — bringing euroskeptic populists to the heart of Europe.
Who are the candidates?
There are five main candidates — including three former heads of government and two far-right leaders — vying for power in the elections.
A right-wing alliance led by Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party appears to be leading in as per the opinion polls and looks set to take office in a coalition with the far-right League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia parties.
Meloni — who has previously expressed admiration for former Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini — could become Italy’s first female prime minister.
The frontrunner for the center-left alliance is the Democratic Party led by Enrico Letta.
There are speculations that support for the 5-Star Movement has gained some momentum in the last few days. A late surge by the left-leaning party could put the rightist alliance’s chances of clinching a majority in the Senate in jeopardy, making the process of forming a government more complex.
How would a potential Meloni government handle the EU?
If Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party manages to become the strongest force in the center-right populist coalition governing Italy, it could impact Rome’s relationship with the EU.
How would a potential Meloni government negotiate Italy’s position in Brussels? DW’s Bernd Riegert spoke to political experts regarding Meloni’s stances on foreign policy and European integration.
dvv/wd (AFP, AP, Reuters)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/italy-election-polls-open-as-far-right-eyes-historic-victory-live-updates/a-63230549?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf