Democratic Party (PD) leader Enrico
Letta said Friday that the victory of the right/centre-right
coalition in Italy's September 25 general election was far from
a foregone conclusion.
"We have three weeks ahead of us, 40% of voters are undecided,"
the centre-left chief commented after League leader Matteo
Salvini said the PD knew it was set to lose.
"Young people have not yet decided who to vote for.
"Everything is still to play for in this match".
Opinion polls suggest that the right/centre-right coalition is
set for a landslide victory.
Although the PD is second to Giorgia Meloni's right-wing
Brothers of Italy (FdI) party in the polls, with the support of
around 22-23% of voters, compared to 24% for FdI, when the
likely votes of the whole coalitions are put together, the
right/centre-right has a massive lead.
The centre-right alliance is currently some 19% ahead of the
centre-left bloc, meaning it is just three percentage points
away from getting the two thirds majority it needs to pass
Constitutional amendments without a referendum, according to a
YouTrend simulation released this week.
The right's chances have been boosted by the failure of the
other parties to form a united front against it.
The PD refused to ally with the 5-Star Movement (M5S) after it
sparked the crisis of government that caused the collapse of the
coalition supporting outgoing Premier Mario Draghi.
The centrist 'third pole' of Azione-Italia VIva is also running
separately from the big blocs.
The right/centre-right has agreed that the leader of the party
that gets most votes will have the right to choose the premier
nominee that the bloc will put to President Sergio Mattarella if
it wins the election.
That seems to put Meloni in a strong position to become Italy's
first woman premier.
The prospect of the leader of a right-wing party becoming
Italy's next premier has sparked concern in some quarters.
But the 45-year-old Roman has taken pains to stress that Italy
would remain a reliable and fully committed member of NATO and
the EU and would not adopt reckless budget policies with a
government led by FdI
Melon's party was the only major group not to back outgoing
Premier Mario Draghi's national unity government.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
