ROME: Most Italians are against technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti running for a second term in parliamentary elections expected in February, a poll showed yesterday.
Approval ratings for the premier hit almost their lowest level since Monti was appointed 13 months ago to lead a government charged with pulling Italy from the brink of a financial crisis. Monti is under international pressure to stand so he can continue a programme of reforms and austerity meant to defuse a debt crisis dangerous to the eurozone.
But the tax hikes and cuts to spending imposed by the government have provoked widespread protests in Italy. Just 24 percent of respondents said Monti should put himself forward as a candidate while 61 percent were against the idea, the survey by the SWG polling institute showed.
The result shows an apparent disconnect between voters and leaders as centre-right politicians stepped up calls over the weekend for Monti to run for a second term at the head of a conservative coalition. Centre-right voters were the most strongly opposed to a Monti run with 82 percent against the idea, compared with 58 percent of centre-left voters and 34 percent of centrists.
reuters
