Italians get ready for early legislative poll Sun.

ROME, Sept 24 (KUNA) -- Italian people are preparing to cast their ballot in the legislative elections of two chambers of parliament due on Sunday (tomorrow), amid fears of the rise of a far-wing coalition for the first time.
The election may result in a right-wing coalition led, for the first time, by a neo-fascist party, which raises internal and external concerns Election silence has begun since midnight following a campaigning that witnessed a hostile discourse and the rise of Giorgia Meloni, as leader of far-right Fratelli d'Italia, Brothers of Italy.
Meloni is leading the far-right coalition, which has a policy against the EU project and is charged with sympathy with Russia in the current Ukrainian war. The 19th legislative election since the establishment of the Republic of Italy comes after a session, which had three governments, two of which were led by Giuseppe Conte, and the last was formed by Mario Draghi to face the Covid-19 pandemic.
Italy is one of the most affected European countries by the sanctions imposed on Russia, as it is the most important supplier of natural gas and an important outlet for Italy's products and investments. Also, Russian tourists are a key segment of Italy's tourism sector. The election is very essential in light of the worsening poverty rate affecting 5.7 million of its population totaling 60 million.
The country also is facing a severe wave of high prices of basic materials and energy bills with high inflation.
Opinion polling institutes registered the priorities of voters' concerns on the eve of the election that topped work and jobs, 23 percent, tax burdens, 15 percent, energy crisis, 13 percent, climate change, 12 percent, inflation and high prices, 9 percent, and security and the spread of crime, percent.
On return, priorities of voters towards migration rates, which was exploited by the far-wing parties, declined to six percent.
Civil rights mainly giving Italian citizenship to migrants' children has only three percent of the Italian voter's interest.
Fears of Italy's public opinion about the repercussions of the ongoing war in Ukraine are not limited to the economic and living conditions, but rather a possible war outside the Ukrainian borders.
The competition in the election is amongst four main parties, led by the coalition of right-wing parties that sought to facilitate the early elections, the Centre-left Democratic Party, the Five Star movement, and third pole alliance, in addition to some other small parties and powers.
The coalition led by Meloni of Brothers of Italy includes three other right-leaning parties: Lega, under Matteo Salvini, Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and a more minor coalition partner, Noi Moderati.
The Democratic Party led by former Prime Minister Enrico Letta comprises a limited coalition of the center-left including the Green and Left Alliance, More Europe and Civic Commitment.
The Five Star party led by former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will partake in the poll alone. The party won the 2018 election with almost a third of the vote.
The latest opinion polls, which are prohibited to be published two weeks before the voting process, expect that the right-wing coalition will advance with a high majority allowed by the notorious electoral system law.
The act gives the coalition, which wins even one vote more than any other party of coalition, a comfortable majority of 55 percent of the Chamber of Deputies' seats, thanks to what is known as the 'prize of majority' to ensure governmental stability.
It is hopeful that the poll leads to a rapid government to approve the public budget's law by the end of December. The law is very important in the face of compound challenges.
The government, formed because of the election, is demanded to address two urgent requirements, the first is the aggravation of the energy price crisis and its social and economic consequences, and the second is the need to approve the new general budget of the state before December 31. The poll comes in light of the country's general debt, which exceeds 150 percent pf the gross domestic product (GDP), a budget deficit and scarcity of funding resources as well as others.
There are than 51 million eligible voters who have right to cast their ballot in tomorrow's election. The voters will choose 400 parliament's members and 200 others of Senate. (end) mn.hm