Italian Election’s Going to Be Messy, Say Pollsters

Five Star movement members Beppe Grillo (L), Luigi Di Maio (C) and Alessandro Di Battista attend a demonstration against the new electoral law in downtown Rome, Italy, on Oct. 25, 2017. PHOTO: Reuters/Tony Gentile/File Photo

Last polls before election predict 5 Stars to be largest party but falling short of a majority.

By Giada Zampano | 16 February 2018

POLITICO — The final opinion polls before the Italian election suggest it will be a struggle for any of the main parties to form a government.

Friday marks the last day in which opinion polls can be published ahead of the March 4 ballot, according to Italian law. All the polls have similar findings — one of the most unpredictable elections in decades likely ending with a hung parliament. That in turn could lead to a larghe intese — a grand coalition — even though all the main parties have ruled out such an arrangement during a heated campaign.

The center-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi has better chances of securing a working majority, pollsters say. The group — Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, plus the Northern League of Matteo Salvini and the right-wing Brothers of Italy — is predicted to get between 35 and 38 percent of the vote, which could be enough for a razor-thin majority. […]

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