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Early right-wing parliamentary elections continue in Italy. For the first time in Italy's history, a woman, Georgia Maloney, can hold the premiership.
Polling stations in Italy opened at 7 am local time. Turnout is expected to hit a new all-time low this year.
Record low turnout in Italy
By the middle of the day, voter turnout reached 19.21%. The participation rate in the elections is lower than in the 2018 elections, when it reached 19.43%.
The leaders of several major Italian parties have already voted this morning. Enrico Letta of the center-left Democratic Party voted at a polling station in Rome, while Matteo Salvini, head of the right-wing, anti-immigrant Northern League, voted in Milan.
Salvini is running with far-right Brothers of Italy leader Giorgia Maloney and Fort Italia's Silvio Berlusconi in the right-wing coalition.
Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi also voted in Florence. Renzi split from the party and founded Italia Viva, which is running as part of the centrist Azione-Italia Viva coalition.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella, previously re-elected for a second term, voted in his hometown of Palermo, Sicily. He appeared at his polling station, at a local school, shortly after the opening of the polling stations.
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, just under 50 million people were invited to vote. According to polls, the center-right coalition is considered the leader.
If it wins, Italy will form the first right-wing government since the end of World War II. The counting of votes will begin after they close at 23:00.
Why are early parliamentary elections being held in Italy
Italy's national elections were sparked by a partisan struggle that led to the overthrow of the government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi in July.
Draghi resigned in July and attributed his decision to a split in the ruling coalition. Italy's parliament has been dissolved.
Georgia Maloney is the prime candidate for prime minister as leader of an alliance that also includes the parties of Salvini and former Italian prime minister and friend of Vladimir Putin Berlusconi.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, veiledly warned Italy of the consequences if it deviated from democratic principles after the victory of the right-wing bloc led by Meloni.
The leader of the Brothers of Italy party promised to support the West's policy towards Ukraine and not take unjustified risks, as the economy has been hit hard by rising prices.
Also, Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini, during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov, assured that Italy would support Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor, despite the results of the vote .
