Italians vote in election that could take far-right to power

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

ROME (AP) — Italians voted Sunday in an election that could move the country’s politics sharply toward the right during a critical time for Europe, with war in Ukraine fueling skyrocketing energy bills and testing the West’s resolve to stand united against Russian aggression.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0500GMT) and by noon turnout was equal to or slightly less than at the same time during Italy’s last general election in 2018. The counting of paper ballots was expected to begin shortly after they close at 11 p.m. (2100 GMT), with projections based on partial results coming early Monday morning.

Publication of opinion polls is banned in the two weeks leading up to the election, but polls before that showed far-right leader Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, with its neo-fascist roots, the most popular. That suggested Italians were poised to vote their first far-right government into power since World War II. Close behind was former Premier Enrico Letta and his center-left Democratic Party.

“Today you can help write history,” Meloni tweeted Sunday morning.

https://apnews.com/article/elections-voting-italy-matteo-salvini-c251832f5b73063b2e20869a21f92efe

[badhair77]

1. I just saw this headline on MSNBC.

Does anyone else find this terrifying? I was born post-WWII and have a deep memory of family talking about the horrors this line of thinking wrought in the 30s and 40s. I’m stupefied and unsettled by the whole prospect of it happening again.

[ColinC]

2. Nobody needs universal healthcare or awesome public transit, anyways

[elleng]

3. 'Publication of opinion polls is banned in the two weeks leading up to the election.'

Interesting