Italy's voters have spoken, and the populists ruled the day.

But whether these eurosceptics can put aside their distrust and rivalries to rule together was the big question as the nation embarked on a new era following a quarter-century of largely predictable coalition-formula politics.

Emerging on top - and the pick of nearly a third of those who cast ballots - was the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, founded in 2009 by comic Beppe Grillo and the largest opposition force in the just-ended legislature.

The other main player in maneuvers to try to form a government is the anti-immigrant League, led by Matteo Salvini, which expanded beyond its northern base to outpoll the conservative Forza Italia, the party created in the mid-1990s by Silvio Berlusconi.

In his first comments on Monday, Salvini repeated his stance that the euro was bad for Italy, insisting that 'it's a wrong currency and a wrong choice'.

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A centre-right coalition including Silvio Berlusconi's (pictured) Forza Italia and far-right League party won about 37 per cent of the parliamentary vote, according to preliminary results

In an upset, the partial results showed the right-wing, anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic League party of Matteo Salvini (pictured, today) surpassing its coalition partner, the establishment Forza Italia party of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi

But because no party or coalition captured enough seats to rule alone, and because the populists went into the election as sharp rivals despite their similar 'Italy, first,' stances, it was unclear if a government with the potential to last could be forged to tackle Italy's pressing economic and social problems.

No one seemed to have the answer Monday.

Despite the League's gains, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement has become Italy's single biggest party after taking about 31 per cent.

Leader Luigi Di Maio, 31, immediately asserted his right to govern Italy after the party's strong showing.

Former premier Matteo Renzi, head of Italy's Democratic Party, which suffered significant losses, decided to resign.

'The (next) government is an enigma,' read the front-page headline of the daily Corriere della Sera.

'March 4's vote represents a watershed, with the maximum affirmation of anti-establishment parties in the Western Europe panorama, from the post war to today,' said Rome's LUISS university's center for Italian electoral studies.

The Five Star Movement, under Luigi Di Maio (pictured, right and left, celebrating overnight) has become Italy's single biggest party after taking about 31 per cent

Three billboards were seen being driven around Rome this morning, saying 'If you Bunga Bunga with extremists, you don't win. Capiche, Berlusconi?'

For roughly a quarter-century following the political upheaval in Europe set in motion by the demise of Eastern bloc communism, Italy's elections had largely alternated power between a center-right coalition headed by Berlusconi, who served three terms as premier, and a center-left bloc built around the Democratic Party, many of them former communists.

That system had been dubbed the 'second republic.'

It followed the so-called `'first republic' of the post-war generation, in which Christian Democrats anchored government after short-lived coalitions, cobbled together with the aim of keeping what was then Western Europe's largest communist party out of power.

That system crumbled in the early 1990s amid corruption scandals that swept away virtually an entire political class.

'Today for us is the start of the third republic. And the third will finally be the republic of the citizens,' exulted Luigi Di Maio, the Five Star Movement's 31-year-old candidate for premier.

But how that new era will take shape is very unclear.

Despite the League's gains, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement has become Italy's single biggest party after taking about 31 per cent. Leader Luigi Di Maio (pictured today), 31, said today the strong showing means that it should run the next government

In his first comments today, Salvini (pictured talking at a press conference in Milan this morning) repeated his stance that the euro was bad for Italy, insisting that 'it's a wrong currency and a wrong choice.'

The largest share went to the alliance including the League and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy!) - but for the first time the League emerged as the senior partner

Berlusconi, sidelined from holding office due to a tax fraud conviction and relishing the prospect of playing kingmaker after Sunday's vote, suffered what could be a definitive blow for the 81-year-old media mogul.

Berlusconi's Forza Italia captured only 14 percent of the vote, compared to 18 percent for coalition partner Salvini's League, which achieved virtual dominance in Italy's prosperous northern regions, where Berlusconi made much of his immense wealth.

The League's votes, along with Forza Italia and those of a smaller partner, the far-right Brothers of Italy, totaled 37 percent of ballots cast - nowhere near the absolute majority needed to win the confidence votes in each chamber of Parliament required under Italy's system for governing.

Top German MEP urges Berlin to 'get out of the euro' after Italy election German MEP Hans-Olaf Henkel has urged his country to 'get out of the euro' in the wake of the Italian election. Henkel told Express.co.uk that the 'majority' of Italy's election results were 'critical towards the EU' and that politicians had all 'promised the moon' to the Italian voters. He added: 'The results will mean even higher debts than those 130 per cent of state debt today, further deterioration of competitiveness of Italian industry and more unemployment. 'But Italian president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, will print even more money. 'In the end, the eurozone will be the ideal transfer mechanism from the north to the south. That's why Germany must get out of the euro now!' Advertisement

The 5-Stars Movement's better-than-expected 32 percent showing was boosted by its dominance of the south, where Forza Italia had long held sway.

This north-south divide is a new element that could complicate any power-sharing, political analyst Angelo Panebianco said.

'Government formation will take longer because of this division' as leaders adjust to new territorial equilibriums, he said on Sky TG24.

Further complicating the path toward a new government are campaign vows by the Five Star Movement to never to govern in a coalition.

Savoring the center-right's performance, Salvini vowed that the bloc had won 'the right and the duty to govern.'

Berlusconi and Salvini huddled on Monday at the mogul's estate on Milan's outskirts, but there were no indications what strategy the two leaders might chart.

'I am and I will remain a populist,' Salvini told reporters.

He sought to assure financial markets that his leadership wouldn't be anything to fear, even as he reaffirmed his belief that Italy's membership in the euro common currency was a mistake.

Asked about the possibility of joining forces with the Five Star Movement to govern, Salvini replied: 'No, no, no.'

For its part, the Five Star Movement has insisted it would never dirty itself by joining a government alliance.

But as the first results were trickling in early Monday, its leaders started sending another message, saying they expected Italy's parties will have to come to them to work out a deal for government.

The anti-establishment Five Star Movement, led by 31-year-old Luigi Di Maio (pictured), has taken about 31 per cent, with the centre-left coalition far behind with 23 per cent

Widow of man killed by mafia is elected to the Italian parliament The widow of a man killed by the Sicilian mafia who has to live under armed protection after turning state witness has been elected to the Italian parliament, official results showed. Piera Aiello, 51, had to do her campaigning as candidate of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement behind closed doors as her face cannot be shown in public for fear of mafia reprisals. She won almost 53 percent of the vote in her constituency in Marsala in western Sicily, far ahead of her centre-right rival with 26 percent. Aiello witnessed two mafia hitmen kill her husband, the son of Sicilian mafia boss Vito Atria, in 1991. A mafia supergrass who turned informant after her husband was killed by the Sicilian mob has won a seat in the Italian government - despite not being allowed to show her face in public. Piera Aiello won almost 53 per cent of the vote in her constituency in Marsala in western Sicily (pictured) Atria was shot dead in 1985 and his son, Nicolo', had spoken publicly about wreaking revenge. That was enough for a rival mafia clan to kill him too. She turned in the killers and provided evidence against dozens of mafia members to crusading prosecutor Paolo Borsellino, who was himself killed in a car bomb attack just months later in 1992. Aiello has said she decided to run because of the movement's commitment to tackle social inequality and because she wanted her identity back after being forced to move to a different part of Italy. 'If I am elected to parliament, I will finally re-appear in public and I will no longer be the woman who was 'deported' 26 years ago,' she was quoted as saying in an interview with Sicilia Oggi Notizie. Advertisement

Shaping up to be the largest opposition party in Parliament was the Democrats of former Premier Matteo Renzi, which had been the main coalition partner in government since 2013.

Splintered and squabbling under what was seen by critics as a heavy-handed leadership, the Democratic Party plunged to 23 percent.

Renzi vowed to stay on as party leader until a new government is formed to ensure the Democrats don't lend support to any 'extremist' force.

He described both the League and the 5-Stars as embodying an anti-Europe spirit he couldn't embrace.

He also noted that during the campaign both Salvini and Di Maio had branded Democratic lawmakers as Mafiosi and corrupt.

'If that's who we are, govern without us,' Renzi said, declaring that his party's place in the new legislature was in the opposition.

The virulently anti-immigrant League's big jump in popularity came through a remarkable transformation.

'The European Union is having a bad evening,' French far-right leader Marine Le Pen tweeted

For this election, Salvini shed the name 'Northern' from the party's label, seeking to expand influence beyond its geographic stronghold.

In the south, where it made virtually no impact at all in the 2013 election, it polled 6.7 percent, a respectable showing he can use to strengthen his hand in maneuvering to create a government.

Salvini also cozied up with like-minded Europeans.

He met privately with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in 2014 in Milan, has aligned himself with France's populist leader Marine Le Pen and praised Hungary's leader Viktor Orban, who similarly took a hard stand on migrants.

While the League and Five Star are rivals, a coalition with both has been seen as the key barometer to gauge Italy's relations with Brussels, and a 'nightmare scenario' for the European Union and markets if they were to form an unlikely alliance.

French far right leader Marine Le Pen tweeted last night: 'The European Union is having a bad evening.'

Meanwhile, France's president Emmanuel Macron this morning cited migration as key factor in Italy election result.

Macron said he was 'cautious at this stage' about the results of the election, but that the country has clearly suffered from the migrant crisis, pointing to the 'brutality of the context' in Italy.

With votes counted from more than 75 per cent of polling stations, it looked almost certain that none of the three main factions would be able to govern alone and there was little prospect of a return to mainstream government, creating a dilemma for the European Union.

What next? Post-election scenarios Italy's election appears to leave a hung parliament in which no single party or coalition commands an overall majority according to preliminary results, leaving few options for any new government. The prospect of a grand coalition between Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy) party and the ruling centre-left Democratic Party against the surging populists and far-right appears no longer feasible. Here are some possible scenarios: Populist, far-right alliance Both the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League party have ruled out the possibility of a post-election pact but this is currently the only option that looks like it would command a majority. According to the latest projections, the two parties together would hold 355 seats in the 630-seat lower house of parliament and 168 seats in the 315-seat upper house. Both parties are heavily eurosceptic and League leader Matteo Salvini has been accused of stirring up racial tensions. A tie-up could cause shockwaves around Europe. Right-wing coalition Preliminary results make this remote as the coalition looks set to win only 37 per cent of the vote, including 18 per cent for the League and 14 per cent for Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy) party. The final result of the vote in terms of seats is hard to predict, however, as Italy is using a new electoral law for the first time that combines proportional representation with a first-past-the post system. If the coalition does win a majority and the League comes in ahead of Forza Italia, this would open the prospect of far-right Salvini being nominated as Italy's next prime minister. Stalemate If there is no clear majority, President Sergio Mattarella could choose to leave in place the current centre-left government of Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. This would allow time to set up a temporary government to reform the electoral law and organise new elections. But the process would take time as consultations could only start after parliament's newly-elected lawmakers meet for the first time on March 23 to elect speakers. After a stalemate following Italy's last election in 2013, it took more than two months to form a government. Five-star government Another scenario would be a minority Five Star government, which could prove highly unstable after it secured only 31 per cent of the vote . Advertisement

Who's who in the Italian election Five Star Movement The populist party, led by 31-year-old telegenic young gun Luigi Di Maio, has risen from populist insurgency to become Italy's largest single party by far after winning 31 per cent of the vote. Its vote share in the election was second only to a main right-wing coalition of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and its far right partner the League which together took 37 per cent. Five Star was founded in 2009 by burly comedian Beppe Grillo feeding off public fury over institutional corruption and economic hardship. However, Di Maio's appointment as leader now symbolises a strategic shift for the anti-establishment party. The populist party, led by 31-year-old telegenic young gun Luigi Di Maio (centre), has risen from populist insurgency to become Italy's largest single party by far after winning 31 per cent of the vote He has been criticised for his poor command of grammar but waged an exhausting campaign around the country, capturing new voters in economically disaffected regions of southern Italy. The party has used its newly 'mature' image to capture voters from the traditional parties that 69-year-old Grillo long railed against. Instead of the expletive-filled rants of his shaggy-haired former boss, Di Maio offers calmer, considered political reflections and the party now says the time for quitting the EU has passed. Its flagship proposal in the election campaign was a minimum monthly income of up to 780 euros ($963) for the poor, helping it draw massive support in the underdeveloped south. 'We do not want a populist, extremist or anti-European Italy,' Di Maio has said. Forza Italia Veteran Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi returned to lead his centre-right Forza Italia - but the come back appears to have suffered a humiliating setback. A coalition involving the far-right League party, looks to have taken about 37 per cent of the vote. But Forza Italia (Go Italy) won less than 14 per cent while its anti-immigrant partner, under Matteo Salvini, captured around 18 per cent. Veteran Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (right) returned to lead his centre-right Forza Italia - but the come back appears to have suffered a humiliating setback Berlusconi, the flamboyant three-time former prime minister, cannot hold elected office because of a fraud conviction but has put forward European Parliament President Antonio Tajani as his prime ministerial nominee. The billionaire, who won his first election in 1994, has returned to the limelight at the age of 81 despite a career overshadowed by sex scandals and legal woes. He was ambushed as he cast his vote in Milan by a topless woman from the Femen activist group who had 'Berlusconi, you have expired' scrawled across her torso. The League In an upset, the partial results showed the right-wing, anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic League party of Matteo Salvini surpassing its coalition partner, the establishment Forza Italia party of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi. According to the partial results, the League captured around 18 per cent of the vote, while Forza Italia had less than 14 per cent. With the anti-establishment Five Star the highest vote-getter of any single party, the results confirm the defeat of the two main political forces that have dominated Italian politics for decades - Forza Italia and the centre-left - and the surging of populist and right-wing, Eurosceptic forces. The League was particularly strong in the north, its traditional base. In Veneto, where it won 11 per cent of the vote in the last elections in 2013, it captured around 48 per cent this time around. In an upset, the partial results showed the right-wing, anti-immigrant and eurosceptic League party of Matteo Salvini (pictured) surpassing its coalition partner, the establishment Forza Italia party of media mogul and ex-Premier Berlusconi, 81 The strong showing raises the prospect of League leader Matteo Salvini, who has promised to shut down Roma camps, deport hundreds of thousands of migrants and tackle the 'danger' of Islam, becoming Italy's next prime minister. 'The March 4 vote yielded a result that Europe was afraid of and Italy perhaps did not expect on this scale,' columnist Marcello Sorgi wrote in La Stampa daily. 'Defeated everywhere else in Europe, populism won here. Either it can govern or it will block the system.' He tweeted 'Thanks!' to his supporters as the results came in. Claudio Borghi of the League told Sky that the election results send a clear message to Brussels. 'I think the will of the Italian people is very clear. The forces in favour of what Europe has done have been redimensioned,' Borghi told Sky TG24. 'It's a very strong message.' The boost for far-right and populist parties has drawn comparisons to Britain's vote to leave the European Union and the rise of US President Donald Trump. Democratic Party Matteo Renzi, Italy's outspoken former premier looks on his way out after leading his party to election disaster, an alarming change in fortune for a man who just a few years ago was considered the darling of Italian politics. The centre-left coalition led by Renzi's Democratic Party (PD), in power going into the elections, looked set to pick up 23.6 per cent of the vote, down on the last polling figures allowed before the election and a huge blow to the PD's chances of being part of the next government. With over two-thirds of the vote counted, the PD itself has under 20 per cent, the red line figure that has Italian media speculating that the usually bullish Tuscan could step down as leader, despite having only won the party's primaries in a landslide in April. Matteo Renzi (right), Italy's outspoken former premier looks on his way out after leading his party to election disaster, an alarming change in fortune for a man who just a few years ago was considered the darling of Italian politics The result will be particularly humiliating for a man whose party clinched 40 per cent of the vote in the 2014 European elections. In 2012, with his sights set on party leadership, he vowed to make Italy the country 'where you get a job because of what you know and not who you know,' said L'Espresso. But today he is often accused of surrounding himself with his chosen few, frequently fellow Tuscans, who have done little to boost his reputation. Renzi became the country's youngest prime minister in 2014, at the age of just 39. Showing a tireless work ethic while his wife, Agnese, and three children stayed home in Tuscany, the former boy scout came to office with a vow to revive Italy's lethargic economy. He managed to deliver his flagship labour market reforms and modest growth, while overseeing the granting of legal recognition to gay relationships for the first time. But the recovery was not strong enough to generate any real political dividends, and Renzi's domestic fall from grace came in December 2016, when Italians rejected his proposal for constitutional reform in a referendum. His dream of a 'simpler, more competitive and more courageous' Italy lay in tatters and Renzi resigned as premier. Advertisement



