Italy could face political CHAOS similar to Merkel’s Germany after election

The country’s ruling centre-left Democratic Party (PD) has seen its popularity plunge by 5 percent in three months, research by Ixè has found.

The PD appears to be floundering despite the fact Prime Minster Paolo Gentiloni has polled as the country’s most popular party leader.

Italy’s former Prime Minster Matteo Renzi, who resigned after losing a referendum on constitutional changes in 2016, is running as the PD’s candidate ahead of polling day on March 4.

If the voting brings about the result depicted in the poll, it means no party would be able to form a majority – echoing the outcome of the German election last year that has left political instability in the country.

Although the centre-right parties would be ahead with 35.3 percent, it would lack the 26 seats needed to reach an absolute majority in the Lower House.

The leading Democratic Party’s popularity appeas to be on the decline after registering 27.2 percent in October, but just 22 percent in the latest poll.

In the same period, former prime minster Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party rose from 15.1 percent to 17 percent.

The anti-immigration right-wing Lega party fell in popularity from 13.6% to 11.5%, and the anti-EU populist Five Star Movementt rose from 27.4% to 28.7%.

Despite Forza Italia’s increase in popularity, Berlusconi cannot become Prime Minister, or even a member of parliament, because he was found guilty of fraud in 2013.

It is not yet clear who would lead his party if they won the election. 

The Ixè poll, for the Huffington Post, found that the staunchly pro-EU More Europe party has just 2.6 percent support, up from 2 percent recorded last week.

The Free and Equal coalition of left-wing parties, lead by Italy’s President of the Senate Pietro Grasso, has polled as growing in popularity from 7 percent to 7.3 percent.

The Five Star Movement is said to have fallen in popularity from 29.2 percent to 28.7 percent in a week.

Matteo Salvini’s Lega party fallen from 11.9 percent to 11.5 percent, according to the poll.

(Additional reporting by Maria Ortega)