Italian election 2018: Regardless of results DISAPPOINTMENT in EU expected to grow
ITALIAN voters look set to send a stern warning to the European Union as the country goes to the poll with "disappointment" in Brussels' establishment continuing to grow.
Italian election: RESENTMENT of EU will remain
The recent campaign has been "more populist and more anti-EU" than any other election in Italian history.
Eurosceptic voices lead a number of the major parties, including the Lega and the Five Star Movement (M5S), with a strong representation also in Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia.
Political risk analyst Raffaella Tenconi suggested voters will use the Italian election 2018 to send a clear message to the European Union higher echelons.
She said: "It’s true that love towards the EU has significantly decreased.
"The Italian electorate is simply saying that the structural changes that have been done, the implementation policies and the type of policies that have been done are nor optimal for the state of the economy today."
Ms Tenconi however estimated it would take years for Italy – a co-founder and one of the largest contributors to the EU – to effectively decide to break up with Brussels.
She told Bloomberg: "Disillusionment about the current state of the EU has significantly increased but between now and actually desiring to leave the euro area as priority number one I think is really a tiny minority."
A recent study revealed 51 percent of Italians would be in favour of leaving the EU – with young citizens holding the worst opinion about the impact of the EU on their country.
Political commentators link the emergence of anti-EU election slogans with the lack of support from Brussels during the height of the migrant crisis in 2016.
But others, like the Lega's economy spokesperson Claudio Borghi, have long claimed the European Union and the euro in particular are a threat to the Italian economy.
Topless activist confronts Silvio Berlusconi during vote
Disillusionment about the current state of the EU has significantly increased
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Mr Borghi said: "If the destiny of the country is in the hands of a non-accountable bank like the European Central Bank then I think there is a serious risk to the political integrity of the country.
"There is a growing awareness that the euro doesn’t work. We started sharing information about the problem many years ago and throughout the years people’s awareness of the problem has grown."
Heavily indebted Italy is the third largest economy in the 19-member eurozone - but the ailing economy along with concerns over mass immigration and unemployment have thrown the government into chaos.
The vote could bring political gridlock to Italy as no bloc is predicted to win enough votes to form a majority in government.
Pollsters predict former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and his right-wing allies La Lega and Brothers of Italy will emerge as the largest bloc in parliament but fall short of a parliamentary majority.
The electoral system used in Italy is brand new, so it is hard to predict the outcome of this general election.
It is a “mixed” system - part “first-past-the-post” and part proportional representation or PR.
According to exit polls made available following poll closure at 11 pm (10 pm GMT) put the 5 Star Movement (M5S) between 29 and 32 percent, followed by the Democratic Party between 20.5 and 23.5 percent. Forza Italia and Lega are forecasted to get between 12.5 and 15.5 percent.
The earliest exit polls have a margin of error of around 4 percent. Final results will not be available until earlier on