Right poised for big gains in Italian elections
ITALIANS headed to the polls yesterday in local elections that could result in big gains for the far Right.
Voting continues today in the first key test of public support for the fragile national coalition since the coronavirus outbreak.
The 46million voters are electing local officials, as well as giving their verdict on a proposed move to cut the number of MPS. Voters have largely approved of how Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister, has handled the pandemic.
But recent opinion polls suggest this will not help his coalition allies in the vote for the heads of seven regions and mayors in almost 1,000 towns.
The Right-wing opposition, led by Matteo Salvini’s League, is expected to win at least four of the regions, and could capture the traditional Left-wing stronghold of Tuscany.
A drubbing for the ruling parties would galvanise the League and its allies, but most analysts say it would be unlikely to trigger a government collapse in the midst of the coronavirus crisis and as the country prepares a crucial 2021 budget.
The constitutional referendum on whether to reduce the number of members of parliament from 945 to 600 is likely to be approved, according to early polls.
It would clear the administrative path for Italy’s president to dissolve parliament or hold new elections in the future, if necessary.
Its passage would be considered a win for its backer, the Five Star Movement, which is expected to perform dismally in regional contests.
The big question is how many regions will the League and its Right-wing coalition gain from the centre-left.
“Another stronghold of the Left is under attack from the League – for Salvini, Tuscany is the race to win,” said La Stampa’s Niccolò Carratelli.
“Nobody has a strong incentive to make the government fall right now,” Erik Jones, of Johns Hopkins University in Bologna, said. “But the regional contests could have important implications within the political parties.”