31.1 C
Delhi
Friday, September 22, 2023

Italy opens polls for snap parliamentary elections

Date:

Share post:

Rome: Italy opened polling stations for snap parliamentary elections at 07:00 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT) on Sunday.

The citizens are electing 400 members of parliament and 200 senators, after the cabinet led by Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigned in late July. The administration continues to perform its duties until a new government is formed.

With almost 51 million people being eligible to vote, the turnout is expected to be at 65-70%, however early national media reports show a low turnout in the first few hours.

According to the Italian Interior Ministry, which performs the functions of the election commission, more than 61,000 polling stations have been opened in the country and abroad, which will be open until 23:00 on Sunday. The counting of votes will start immediately after the closure of the polls. The results of the first exit polls are expected after 23:00, the first official results will be announced closer to Monday morning.

The coalition of the center-right parties has the best chance to win the general elections. According to various polls, the last of which were released on September 9, it can count on 45-47% of the popular vote, which may provide the group with the opportunity to make up a sustainable majority needed to form a government. Meanwhile, Brothers of Italy is the country’s most popular party with a 23-25% support level.

Related articles

Kerala to hike financial aid for setting up micro ventures in handicrafts sector

Thiruvananthapuram: In a big support to the handicrafts sector, the Kerala Government has decided to steeply increase the...

Bangladesh suffers worst day of dengue with record number of deaths

Dhaka: Bangladesh has suffered its worst day yet of the dengue this year as deaths of the disease...

PM to visit Varanasi to inaugurate 16 Atal Awasiya Vidyalaya on Sep 23

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Varanasi on Saturday to inaugurate 16 Atal Awasiya Vidyalayas built...

Xi to attend opening ceremony of 19th Asian Games, hold diplomatic events

Beijing: On Sept. 22 and 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the 19th...