If European elections were held
today, nearly 60% of the vote would be divided between Italy's
ruling Democratic Party (PD) and the anti-establishment 5-Star
Movement, a new poll said Friday.
According to the Ixè institute in a study for Rai3 chat
show Agorà, the center-left PD of Premier Matteo Renzi currently
holds 32.8% of the popular vote, up 0.6% since last week, while
the M5S of comic-turned-politician Beppe Grillo has 25.8% of the
vote, also up 0.6%.
Party's like Grillo's, with a prominent anti-Europe
message, are expected to do well at European Parliament
elections on May 25.
The center-right Forza Italia of three-time premier Silvio
Berlusconi currently has 18% of public support, Ixè said, though
pundits say the media magnate's recent community service
sentence for tax fraud at a senior center could help his
numbers, especially since the ruling allows him to commute
between Rome and Milan three days out of the week for purposes
that may include campaigning.
A center-right alliance headed by former Berlusconi dauphin
and current Interior Minister Angelino Alfano stands to win 5.5%
of the vote.
The regionalist Northern League, which has an open
partnership with Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front in
France, stands to draw 5.2%, according to Ixè.
Pollsters surveyed 1,000 people among a broad spectrum of
society, Ixè said, which foresaw a 3.1% margin of error.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
