Political scramble could follow contentious Italian vote
Italians voted in parliamentary elections Sunday after a divisive campaign over immigration and a sagging economy, and an exit poll showed a center-right coalition with a slight edge over the anti-establishment Five Star Movement party.
Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party and Matteo Salvini’s anti-immigration League are the two biggest partners in the three-party coalition, Italy’s RAI state TV reported.
The coalition had 33% to 36% of the vote, compared with the Five Star Movement’s 29.5% to 32.5%, according to the Piepoli polling agency shortly after voting ended.
With no party expected to gain a majority in parliament, Italy was bracing for political chaos.
Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni’s Democrats faced challenges from the center-right coalition led by Berlusconi, a media tycoon, and from the populist Five Star Movement.
“This election is a big divide between those betting on growth and (those with) an extremist message,” Democratic Party leader Matteo Renzi, himself a former prime minister, said in a Facebook pitch. “We ask the Italian people to think carefully.”
The race is considered close, but Five Star and its leader, Luigi Di Maio, polled stronger than the more established parties leading up to the election. Among his promises: a basic income to ensure a minimum salary is paid to all Italians, employed or not.
The economy has taken center stage in a nation struggling with unemployment over 10%. The government is mired in debt, and public services are strained.
More than 600,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since 2013, and the refugees have been another focal point of the campaign. Even the relatively liberal Democrats have softened support for the migrants.
No party in the parliamentary elections is likely to reach the 40% threshold needed to guarantee a majority of seats. Without a majority, the parties must cobble together a coalition to run the government.