With 62% vote, Italy's populist coalition winning over public opinion: Poll

Italy’s unlikely coalition of the populist Five Star Movement and anti-immigration League is winning over public opinion.

About 62 per cent of Italians approve of the governing alliance led by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, according to a poll conducted for Italian daily la Repubblica. That’s the highest level since the government took office on June 1.

Conte and his Finance Minister Giovanni Tria are rushing to present by Sept. 27 the outline of a 2019 budget that addresses the campaign promises made by Luigi Di Maio’s Five Star and Matteo Salvini’s League, while at the same time removing concerns from some European policy makers that the plan might flaunt rules on controlling the deficit and huge public debt.

Speaking at a Milan event on Saturday, League party leader Salvini reiterated his stance that “first comes economic growth and then come the restrictions.” He repeated that his priorities included lowering the retirement age, reducing income tax rates and cutting bureaucracy.

Salvini’s savvy use of social media and anti-immigration rhetoric continues to resonate with voters. His party outpaced the Five Star 30.2 per cent to 29.4 per cent in the Repubblica opinion poll carried out Sept. 11-13 by the Demos & Pi research firm. The Democratic Party once led by former premier Matteo Renzi is still losing support, garnering 17.3 per cent in the poll compared with 18.7 per cent in Italy’s March national election.