(8 Jun 2024)
RESTRITIONS SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rome, Italy – 8 June 2024
1. Various of people voting
2. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Luigi Martino, resident:
“I believe that this time there will be a trend that will be opposite to abstention. There is a silent majority that has always been there and did never go to vote in the past, because they were disgusted by the politicians from the last 50 years. I believe that now they will vote.”
3. Various of people voting
4. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Carlo Puglielli, resident:
“I hope that first of all, young people will vote. Voting is a right but also a duty, but also an opportunity to have your say and give a direction for what is needed.”
5. People exiting polling station
6. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Carlo Puglielli, resident:
“I hope and wish that we will return to social democratic values, more equity, distribution of wealth, etc.”
7. Polling station
8. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Ileana Bocelli, resident:
“(Responding to question: "What are the political priorities?") Giving a minimum wage to those who have nothing… at least a minimum. This is important.”
9. Voter leaving
STORYLINE:
Italians are voting to elect 76 of the 720 members of the European Parliament on Saturday and Sunday, but the vote is happening among fears of a very low turn out.
The main topics of the electoral campaign have been taxation, green transition for cars and real estate, the war in Ukraine and Gaza, agriculture and migration.
While little attention has been given to the important institutional reforms that EU bodies have been waiting for years to speed up decision-making processes.
According to the latest polls Brothers of Italy is expected to collect around 27% of the votes, while the Democratic Party 21% and the Five Stars Movement 15%.
Two members of the government’s coalition Forza Italia, founded by former premier Silvio Berlusconi, and the Lega, led by Matteo Salvini, are expected to gather approximately 8% each of the votes.
In the last European elections in 2019 Lega won with 34%, the Democratic Party was voted by 22% of Italians, the Five Stars Movement 17% and Brothers of Italy just 6%.
The war in Ukraine is also polarising the campaign.
With the Five Stars Movement calling for an immediate stop to sending weapons to Ukraine and Brothers of Italy and the Democratic Party still supporting the right to self-defence against the Russian aggression.
On the war in Gaza the Five Stars and the Democratic Party were ahead of the Italian government in condemning civilian casualties on the Palestinian side, while Meloni, despite supporting the ‘Two peoples, tow states’ solution to the conflict, was slower in distancing herself from the Israeli government.
The main winner of the coming EU elections is expected to be the no-vote party, with an expected abstention of approximately 50%.
AP video shot by Paolo Lucariello and Veronica Andrea Sauchelli and Produced by Paolo Santalucia
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