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WORLD NEWS Monday 5 March 2018

Exit poll gives center-right bloc the edge in Italy election

By FRANCES D’EMILIO percent.
COLLEEN BARRY The center-left coalition
Associated Press that currently governs Italy
ROME (AP) — A center-right and led by the Democratic
coalition had a slight edge Party was lagging at 24.5
over an anti-establishment percent to 27.5 percent,
party in Italy’s election according to the exit poll.
Sunday, an exit poll by RAI The poll had a margin of
state TV found. error of plus or minus 3 per-
The same poll found former cent.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlus- The first projections based
coni dueling for the center- on an initial vote count
right’s leadership with anti- were expected early Mon-
migrant party leader Mat- day.
teo Salvini; their respective How the actual votes stack
Forza Italia and League up could determine if Italy
parties were running nearly is swept up in the euroskep-
neck-and-neck. tic and far-right sentiment
Whichever party domi- that has emerged in much
nates the coalition would of Europe.
be better poised to make The campaigning in Italy
a bid for the premiership was marked by neo-fascist
should the coalition muster rhetoric and anti-migrant
enough support in Parlia- violence that culminated in
ment to support a govern- a shooting spree last month
ment. that targeted African mi- Italian former premier and leader of Forza Italia (Let’s Go Italy) party Silvio Berlusconi listens to
But no party alone was tak- grants and injured six. reporters at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 4, 2018. More than 46 million Italians
were voting Sunday in a general election that is being closely watched to determine if Italy would
ing enough seats to gov- But the 5-Star Movement’s succumb to the populist, anti-establishment and far-right sentiment that has swept through much
ern alone, the exit poll by principle of not allying with of Europe in recent years.
the Piepoli polling agency any party - its supporters (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
found. consider themselves part of 5-Stars’ candidate for pre- mare scenario” of an ex- the populists.
The exit poll put the cen- a non-party - could compli- mier, 31-year-old Luigi Di tremist alliance among the “I think if they create a co-
ter-right-coalition, which cate deal-making to form a Maio, has shown some 5-Stars, the League and the alition among all the popu-
includes a smaller far-right new government if Salvini’s openness to potential part- right-wing Brothers of Italy. lists it would be fantastic, it
party, with 33 percent to populist-leaning League ners. Steve Bannon, right-wing would terrify Brussels and
36 percent of the vote, ends up seeking a partner With Salvini gunning for the populist architect of Don- pierce it in its heart,” Ban-
compared with the anti- that’s not Berlusconi’s more premiership himself, some ald Trump’s White House non was quoted as saying
establishment 5-Star Move- moderate party. pro-European analysts en- campaign, was in Rome in Sunday’s Corriere della
ment’s 29.5 percent to 32.5 Hedging his bets, the visioned a possible “night- this weekend, cheering on Sera newspaper.q

Spanish unionist rally mocks Catalan separatist movement

By JOSEPH WILSON alonia into two parts. dent of the “Platform for tiative and we will never “Tabarnia’s president in ex-
Associated Press One would be for sepa- Tabarnia” association, said become a political party, ile,” making light of former
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ratists who want to leave that the movement is “a but we will always be there Catalan president Car-
— Thousands of Spaniards Spain and the other for serious joke, a parody.” to push back.” les Puigdemont, who has
joined a rally in Barcelona those who want to remain It began with jokes on so- The group’s barbs include fled to Belgium to avoid a
on Sunday in response to a a part of Spain, which cial media that went viral. the slogan “Barcelona court probe into his role in
call by a grassroots group would include the cities of “We won’t let the seces- is not Catalonia,” which a failed secession bid.
that uses humor to mock Barcelona and Tarragona sionists lead Catalonia to twists the separatist slogan Along with Spanish flags,
Catalonia’s separatist where unionist support is disaster,” Martinez told the “Catalonia is not Spain.” many rally-goers carried
push. The group facetiously strong. Europa Press news agency. It has also named political “Tabarnia” flags created
calls for the division of Cat- Miguel Martinez, the presi- “We will never take the ini- satirist Albert Boadella as by the group. q