POLLS OPEN FOR ITALIAN GENERAL ELECTION AS FAR RIGHT EYES HISTORIC VICTORY

Sun 25 September 2022:

Polls have opened as Italians are voting on Sunday in a snap general election.

The snap election came after Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella dissolved parliament in July and called an early election on Sept. 25, marking the end of the government led by Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

Just under 50 million people have been called to cast their votes, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

Of those, more than 4.7 million are voting from abroad — more than half, 2.6 million, are voting from other European countries.

Some 2.7 million people can vote for the first time. The voting age in Italy is 18.

There are just over 61,500 polling stations around the country that will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the first exit polls expected as soon as they close.

Turnout is expected to hit a new record low this year, falling even lower than the previous record of 72.9% in 2018.

According to the latest polls, a right-wing coalition is likely to lead Italy, as Brothers of Italy, led by far-right Giorgia Meloni, could win the race by garnering most of the votes. The polls also showed the center-left Democratic Party led by Enrico Letta ranks second, followed by the far-right Lega party led by Matteo Salvini.

If elected, Meloni will be Italy’s first female prime minister, and for the first time since World War II, the country will have a far-right leader.

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.

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.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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