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Euroskeptic parties surge in Italy election, but no majority

Scrutineers start counting votes in the Italian general elections in Rome, 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 succumb to the populist, anti-establishment and far-right sentiment that has swept through much of Europe in recent years. (Giuseppe Lami/ANSA via AP)
Scrutineers start counting votes in the Italian general elections in Rome, 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 succumb to the populist, anti-establishment and far-right sentiment that has swept through much of Europe in recent years. (Giuseppe Lami/ANSA via AP)

By Associated Press 3 min read

ROME (AP) – A rival pair of populist and stridently anti-European Union political forces surged in Italy’s parliamentary election, but neither gained enough support to govern the country alone, preliminary results showed Monday.

With no faction winning a clear majority, the results confirmed that negotiations to form a new government that can win a confidence vote in Parliament will be fraught.

“Ungovernable Italy” headlined daily newspaper La Stampa as the early numbers rolled in.

Preliminary results released by Italy’s interior ministry showed the center-right coalition winning about 37 percent of the parliamentary vote and the 5-Star Movement getting about 31 percent, with the center-left coalition far behind with 23 percent.

In an upset, the partial results showed the right-wing, anti-immigrant and euroskeptic League party of Matteo Salvini surpassing its coalition partner, the establishment Forza Italia party of ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi. According to the partial results, the League captured around 18 percent of the vote, while Forza Italia had less than 14 percent.