The ruling center-left
Democratic Party (PD) would get 31% of the vote and the populist
5-Star Movement (M5S) led by comedian Beppe Grillo would garner
28.5% of the vote if a general election were held today,
according to a Demopolis Institute poll out Thursday.
The rightwing anti-immigrant Northern League polled at 13.5%,
followed by ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's center-right Forza
Italia (FI) at 12%.
Both benefited slightly in the aftermath of ex-premier Matteo
Renzi's defeat in a December 4 constitutional referendum,
analysts said.
The small rightwing Brothers of Italy (FdI), the small
leftwing Italian Left (SI) and the centre-right Area Popolare
(AP) came in at under 5%.
As far as the timing of the next general election, 67% of
respondents said early spring after parliament draws up a new
electoral law.
Another 15% said next autumn, and 12% said after the current
legislature led by PD Premier Paolo Gentiloni comes to its
natural end, in February 2018.
As far as the electoral law itself, 40% prefer the so-called
Mattarellum, 25% want a system like the one that was in force in
1993-2005, 18% opted for a return to pre-1992, and 17% chose the
so-called Italicum.
The latter was approved into law under the previous Matteo
Renzi government. It awards a big bonus to the party that comes
top and does not let voters directly pick all their MPs.
The Mattarellum law was drafted by the current head of State,
President Sergio Mattarella.
Under it, 75% of seats in parliament are assigned via the
first-past-the-post system and the other 25% on the basis of
proportional representation. It was used for general elections
in 1994, 1996, and 2001.
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