Polls open in Italy, where voters could bring far-right to power - CBC News

Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni's electoral alliance appeared to hold a wide lead in Italy's national vote, an exit poll on state television suggested Sunday evening following a record-low turnout.

RAI state broadcaster said Meloni's Brothers of Italy, in alliance with two right-wing parties, appeared headed to take as much as 45 per cent of the vote in both chambers of Parliament. The closest contender appeared to be the centre-left alliance of former Democratic Party Premier Enrico Letta, which the exit poll indicated garnered as much as 29.5 per cent. RAI said the exit poll had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

The same exit poll indicated Meloni's party appeared to have won from 22-26 per cent of the votes, while Letta's centre-left Democrats appeared headed to take from 17-21 per cent.

It could take weeks before Italy has a new coalition government assembled and sworn in.

Meloni didn't make any immediate comment after the exit poll was announced on RAI state TV.

Italy has had three coalition governments since the last election — each led by someone who hadn't run for office — and that appeared to have alienated many voters, pollsters had said.

Meloni kept her Brothers of Italy in the opposition, refusing to join Draghi's unity government or Conte's two coalitions that governed after the 2018 vote.