Four regions up for grabs in March vote
Candidate list mix-up may convince many to stay home
12 March, 16:15
(ANSA) - Rome, March 12 - Four of the 13 regions where
elections will be held later this month are still up for grabs
while six should be won by the center left and three by the
center right, according to a poll published on Friday.Carried out two weeks before the vote by the ISPO research agency of pollster Renato Mannheimmer, the survey found that the mix-up by Premier Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PdL) center right party in presenting its lists of candidates had convinced 17% of the electorate to change the way the voted in the 2008 political elections with most opting not to go to the polls at all.
However, 74% of those quizzed said the mix-up and the polemics which followed had not influenced their decisions.
According to the poll, undecided voters will play a significant role in the the March 28 and 29 vote. At present 19% of voters said that while they intend to vote they have not decided for whom, while 63% have already decided who to cast their ballots for, 10% are certain they will not vote and 8% are unsure whether they will vote or not.
The four regions where the outcome still appears to be up for grabs are: Liguria, Piedmont, Lazio and Campania.
The six where the center left is expected to win are: Emilia Romagna, Puglia, Tuscany, Marche, Umbria and Basilicata.
The three regions likely to be won by the center right are: Lombardy, Veneto and Calabria.
The ISPO poll was taken March 10 on a cross section of 800 eligible voters.
There will be no polls published in the two weeks before the elections.
A total of 44 million Italians will be casting their ballots in the vote which aside from the 13 regions will also include elections for 11 provincial administrations and mayoral races in 18 provincial capitals.
