Italy's voters ditch the centre and ride a populist wave

Democratic party senator says the ‘the populists have won’ after Italians back parties once considered too fringe

Hung parliament on the cards as populist parties surge - live updates

About 50% of Italians who voted in national elections on Sunday supported populist parties that were once considered fringe, according to early election exit polls and voter projections.

The most likely result of the national election seemed either a win by the centre-right coalition headed by Silvio Berlusconi, the 81-year-old former prime minister, or a hung parliament in which populist parties – the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the xenophobic Northern League – would have considerable influence in the creation of a new government.

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from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2Ff32Ki