Monday briefing: Italy rides Europe's populist wave

Half of Italians vote for one-time fringe parties … MPs say Bradley Wiggins abused doping rules … Gary Oldman and Frances McDormand triumph at Oscars

Italy faces a hung parliament after exit polls forecast that more than half of the votes cast in the country’s general election went to populist parties in a devastating rejection of the centre-left government. The anti-establishment Five Star Movement looks like being the biggest party with 31% of the vote, a remarkable result for a party formed nine years ago by the comedian, Beppe Grillo. Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition won 36% of the votes and hopes to form a government. If the coalition does secure a majority, the 81-year-old Berlusconi would not be allowed to become prime minister again because of a tax conviction. That would potentially clear the way to power for Matteo Salvini, leader of coalition partner the League (formerly known as the Northern League) and a man who wants immigrants to be deported en masse.

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from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2oSU2mS