Italy’s preliminary voting results points to rise of the Eurosceptics

The preliminary results of the Italian elections reflect the rise of Eurosceptic parties and point to the possibility of a hung parliament, issuing, according to the Guardian, a warning to Europe.

According to preliminary results obtained by the media, the majority of Italian voters have chosen to support in the latest national elections Eurosceptic candidates. The swing comes after decades in which the country has been a supporter of the European project.

Results released by the interior ministry on Monday pointed to a hung parliament. However, as ballot were still being counted, that possibility could be avoided, provided that the centre-right coalition, with around 37 percent of the vote, could secure a majority.

Either way, the final result is seen by analysts as a signal that Italian voters are turning their back on Brussels.

The Sunday vote also pointed to the rise to prominence of two political parties considered till now fringe, namely the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), and the anti-migrant and Eurosceptic League, formerly known as the Northern League.

According to the polls, former PM Silvio Berlusconi, seen as the leader of the centre-right coalition, was beaten by rival Matteo Salvini. The centre-left coalition, headed by former Italian PM Matteo Renzi performed worse than expected, managing to secure only 19 percent of the votes. This result, reports say, have prompted Renzi to step down as head of the Democratic party (PD).

Renzi served as Italy’s Pm between February 2014 and December 2016. Although Renzi’s spokesperson Marco Agnolotti denied knowledge of the resignation, the party’s secretary is due to hold a meeting at around 5 pm Italian time.