March 3, 2018

Italy risks being taken over by a dangerous populist alliance, the country’s former prime minister Matteo Renzi has warned as voters prepare to go to the polls in tomorrow’s unpredictable elections.

Mr Renzi said that Italy risked an extremist government run by an alliance of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, the anti-migrant League and the hard-right Brothers of Italy. He likened the populist parties to “sorcerers’ apprentices”.

The League and the Brothers are locked into a coalition with Silvio Berlusconi but analysts believe that they might dump him and join with Five Star to forge a majority if voting produces a hung parliament. Equally, Mr Berlusconi could abandon them and look to forge a governing alliance with Mr Renzi.

Read more:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/populists-on-brink-of-taking-power-in-italy-5c8k3j5jl