Italians head to the polls today to vote in the country’s legislative elections, which will result in the election of the next head of government. Voting intent polls show the winner’s favorite is the candidate of far-right Italy’s Brotherhood party, Giorgia Meloni.
More than 50 million Italians vote under the supervision of the European Union. Expectations are high for the path that the third largest economy in the bloc will take.
The latest polls two weeks ago show that the coalition of the right and the far-right is victorious. This alliance consists mainly of three parties: Forza Italia led by Silvio Berlusconi, the League led by Matteo Salvini, and the Brothers of Italy, whose leader Giorgia Meloni will have an advantage over the allies. Therefore, she may be the first woman to rule Italy.
In Italy’s complex electoral law, winners need strong campaign alliances with other parties to win a majority in parliament. The poll embargo began two weeks before election day. An average of information from various research institutes shows that the right-wing and far-right coalition will have about 46% of the popular preference.
On the other hand, the centre-left alliance formed by the Democratic Party (approximately 23%), the Greens, the Italian Left, Civic Commitment + Europe will not exceed 30% of their voting intentions.
The 5 Star Movement has not made alliances with any group. The anti-system party, led by former prime minister Giuseppe Conte, would reach 10% to 13%, far from the 30% achieved in the last election in 2018. Finally, the central alliance of the Ação and Itália Viva parties will be around 8%.
In November 2020, the Italians approved by referendum the reduction of the number of parliamentarians from 945 to 600. In this election, 400 representatives will be elected in the House of Representatives and 200 representatives in the Senate. The downsizing of the bench made the competition even hotter.
abstention unknown
About 51 million Italians will go to the polls for Sunday’s election. 4.7 million of them vote abroad.
Analysts expect consistently low turnout – it’s estimated that around 40% of voters are undecided or will not vote. This figure reflects Italian disillusionment with politics.
There have been 67 governments in Italy over the last 76 years, which means the average duration for each Administrator is about 13 months.
But right now, most Italians’ concerns are not with the political turmoil, but with the country’s economy. The rise in fuel and electricity prices has once again fueled inflation, which is currently estimated to be between 8% and 9% per year.
Italy must submit an economic program by the end of 2022 in order to receive the European Recovery Plan, which is about 20 billion euros of European Union funding allocated to the country in the context of the post-coronavirus pandemic.
EU concern
The European Union is concerned about the populist promises of the Italian far right. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said last Thursday that if the general elections in Italy initiate an autocratic, nationalist and Eurosceptic change, “there are tools to be implemented in the bloc as in Poland”. and Hungary”.
But von der Leyen added that Europeans are “ready to work with any democratic government” and are therefore willing to work with the Commission.
Brussels condemned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party on issues related to the rule of law and human rights, demanding that these countries abide by the democratic values of the European Union.
In Italy, the League and the Italian Brothers support the policy of the Hungarian Prime Minister. Last week, these parties did not participate in a vote in the European Parliament declaring that Hungary under Orban is no longer a fully functioning democracy but an autocracy. Polish Law and Justice in the European Parliament is part of the conservative bank chaired by leader Giorgia Meloni and the Spanish far-right party Vox.
Mussolini fan?
League leader Matteo Salvini announced last Friday that he will put a no-confidence motion against Ursula von der Leyen. He said the president of the European Commission made “a miserable threat, an unwanted invasion of territory”.
“On Sunday, the Italians, not the Brussels bureaucrats, will vote. If I were president of the European Commission, I would be more concerned with the energy bills,” Salvini said. said.
Giorgia Meloni assured Italy’s international partners that under his leadership, the country will respect the positions of the EU and NATO and continue to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian invasion. However, he is described as a post-fascist leader.
Meloni sought to reassure international allies, but the Brothers of Italy party retained the green, white, and red tricolor flame emblem, salvaged from the old Italian Social Movement.
The neo-fascist party was founded after the Second World War, and its members considered themselves fans of the government of the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who ruled the country in the decades before and during the conflict.
source: Noticias
