- Title: ITALY: Italians vote in European elections
- Date: 25th May 2014
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (MAY 25, 2014) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF SCHOOL SERVING AS POLLING STATION / POLLING STATION STAFF ENTERING BUILDING ITALIAN FLAG OUTSIDE SCHOOL DOORS OPENED BOARD SHOWING VOTE DISTRICTS BEING HUNG AT ENTRANCE PEOPLE ENTERING POLLING STATION MAN HOLDING DOCUMENTS ARRIVING ELECTORAL LISTS ON WALL VARIOUS OF WOMAN USING MAGNIFYING GLASS TO CHECK ELECTORAL LISTS ON THE WALL MAN GETTING BALLOT PAPERS AND ENTERING POLLING BOOTH ANOTHER MAN WALKING TO POLLING BOOTH TO VOTE WOMAN CASTING VOTE (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT ENRICO BRUNI, SAYING: "I don't expect much change, from a political point of view, in a sense that I think people will vote very much the same way they did in the last elections." (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT ANNA CARMASSI, SAYING: "I absolutely think that the people will vote the same way the next time around and therefore I believe the results will provide an indication of which way the votes will go in the national elections." (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT WHO DID NOT WANT TO GIVE HER NAME, SAYING: "I hope that the vote will help improve the economic situtation." (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT WHO WAS BORN IN BANGLADESH, MUJIBUR, SAYING: "I think Europe needs to unite to send a message of peace to the whole world and take a stance against wars and I hope the European politicians will adopt this way of thinking going forward." TWO MEN CHECKING ELECTORAL LISTS ON WALL MAN CASTING VOTE AND POLLING STATION STAFF RETURNING HIS IDENTITY CARD ANOTHER MAN CASTING VOTE MAN WALKING OUT OF POLLING BOOTH AND CASTING VOTE
- Embargoed: 9th June 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA96SP093NBJPI6Z276LIE576OC
- Story Text: Italians on Sunday (May 25) took to the polls to cast their vote in an election that could also decide the future of their government.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has a lot riding on the European parliament vote, the first nationwide election he has faced since taking power in a party coup in February.
The vote will test the 39-year-old Renzi's political legitimacy as head of the right-left governing coalition and his ability to meet the challenge posed by comic Beppe Grillo's appeal to an angry electorate disillusioned by recession, unemployment and political corruption.
Although Renzi has often insisted he intends to govern until the next scheduled elections in 2018, there has been increasing speculation that he could at least consider a snap election either late this year or early next year depending on the result of the European vote.
While there are no firm plans, the idea would be to get a feeling for the mood of voters before deciding whether to seek a more solid majority without the need to rely on the small centre-right party which currently backs his government, according to a source close to Renzi.
A central Roman school used as a voting station was quiet as the polls opened at 0700 local time (0500gmt).
The few voters were divided over the vote's significance for the Italian political scene.
"I don't expect much change, from a political point of view, in a sense that I think people will vote very much the same way they did in the last elections," said Enrico Bruni.
"I absolutely think that the people will vote the same way the next time around and therefore I believe the results will provide an indication of which way the votes will go in the national elections," Anna Carmassi said.
Several voters expressed hopes that a united Europe would help improve financial and social conditions for its people.
"I hope that the vote will help improve the economic situation," said an elderly woman who did not want to give her name.
"I think Europe needs to unite to send a message of peace to the whole world and take a stance against wars and I hope the European politicians will adopt this way of thinking going forward," said Mujibur, an Italian citizen of Bangladeshi origin.
Ahead of the vote Renzi clearly singled out Grillo as his most dangerous rival, framing the vote as a choice between reform and blind protest likely to lead only to a return to the chaos threatened by the eurozone debt crisis of 2011.
For his part, Grillo mocks the smooth-faced prime minister as "Renzie", a trendy, leather jacket-wearing fake no more in touch with real problems than Fonzie, the self-regarding character from the old TV show "Happy Days".
Their battle has achieved the unusual feat of pushing Silvio Berlusconi, the 77-year-old media tycoon who has dominated Italian politics for 20 years, into the shade.
Opinion polls give Renzi's Democratic Party (PD) a healthy lead over rivals with a survey from the SWG institute published before a pre-election blackout giving the party 34.8 percent against 24 percent for Grillo's 5-Star Movement and just 19.1 percent for Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.
But in Grillo, whose insurgent movement stunned Europe by winning 25 percent of the vote in last year's general election, he has an opponent who has struck fear into conventional parties and many expect him to do better than the polls predict. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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