Votes cast amid far right surge

Italians go to the polls today, with the farright hoping to take power with a strong parliamentary majority.

The conservative coalition is led by Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers Of Italy, a party with neofascist origins, and includes Matteo Salvini’s far-right League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia.

Meloni was forced to make a surprise appearance in Naples on Friday after the rival Five Star party enjoyed an unexpected resurgence after being widely written off.

Five Star leader Giuseppe Conte has made up ground after repeatedly extolling the “citizen’s wage” – a benefit introduced by his party in 2019, which gave millions of Italians an essential income during the pandemic.

Meloni has called for a reduction in payments and accused Five Star of “buying” votes with it.