ROME: Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition is leading in a vital battleground region ahead of next month’s Italian election, making it harder for left-wing rivals to form a stable parliamentary majority, according to a poll yesterday.
Whoever wins the February 24-25 vote will have to tackle a deep recession and rising unemployment in the euro zone’s third-largest economy as well as keeping strained public finances under control.
If the result in the northern region of Lombardy were confirmed, it could increase the chances of a post-election deal between the centre-left Democratic Party, which is leading in national opinion polls, and outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti’s centrist formation.
REUTERS
