(25 Sep 2022)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rome - 25 September 2022
1. Woman at registration table, getting her ballots
2. Woman goes into booth to make selection
3. Woman posts ballots
4. Man comes out of booth, ballots prepared by staff then posted
5. Mid of shoes of voter seen as he votes inside booth
6. Police officer voting
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Milan - 25 September 2022
7. Pan of man leaving voting booth, casts votes
8. Election volunteer sorting ballots
9. Tilt up of listed candidates
10. Two voting boxes
11. Various of woman going through voting process with volunteers
STORYLINE:
Italians were voting on Sunday in an election that could move the country's politics sharply toward the right during a critical time for Europe, with war in Ukraine fueling skyrocketing energy bills and testing the West's resolve to stand united against Russian aggression.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0500GMT).
The counting of paper ballots was expected to begin shortly after they close at 11 p.m. (2100 GMT), with projections based on partial results coming early Monday morning.
Before publication of opinion polls were banned 15 days ago, far-right leader Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, with its neo-fascist roots, led in popularity, suggesting Italians were poised to vote their first far-right government into power since World War II.
Close behind was former Premier Enrico Letta and his center-left Democratic Party.
Meloni is part of a right-wing alliance with anti-migrant League leader Matteo Salvini and Silvio Berlusconi, the three-time premier who heads the Forza Italia party he created three decades ago.
Italy's complex electoral law rewards campaign coalitions, meaning the Democrats are disadvantaged since they failed to secure a similarly broad alliance with left-leaning populists and centrists.
If Meloni becomes premier, she will be the first woman in Italy to hold the office.
But assembling a viable, ruling coalition could take weeks.
Nearly 51 million Italians were eligible to vote.
But the predicted turnout could be even lower than the record-setting low of 73% in the last general election in 2018.
Pollsters say despite Europe's many crises, many voters feel alienated from politics, since Italy has had three coalition governments since the last election — each led by someone who hadn't run for office.
Elections were being held six months early after Mario Draghi's pandemic unity government collapsed in late July. Italy's president, Sergio Mattarella, saw no alternative but have voters elect a new Parliament.
===========================================================
Clients are reminded:
(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com
(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service
(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
