Newly released exit polls from today’s Italian national election show a massive surge for populist parties with the Five Star Movement (M5S) becoming the single largest party while the centre-right populist-conservative coalition looks just short of forming a new government.

An exit poll released by Italian public broadcaster RAI shows M5S leading the vote with an estimated vote of 30.5 per cent. While the populist movement could be the single largest party, without the minimum of 40 per cent they will not have the votes needed to form the next Italian government.

The result has been welcomed by Brexit leader and member of the European Parliament Nigel Farage, who said Monday morning:

“Congratulations to our EFDD Group colleagues ‘5Star’ in topping the national poll. This is a huge surge for Eurosceptic and anti- establishment parties in Italy.

“The EU’s misguided immigration policy is leading to great resentment and will spell its end.”

The centre-right coalition of the populist La Lega led by firebrand Matteo Salvini and Forza Italia, led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has an estimated 36 per cent of the vote, which, while putting them in the lead overall, is also short of the required 40 per cent needed.

Both Berlusconi and Salvini campaigned on an anti-mass migration and largely eurosceptic platform with each party leader saying that they would deport hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants. Berlusconi also said he would support a large investment programme for Africa resembling the post-war Marshall plan, in an effort to curb mass migration from the continent.

The biggest loser in the election according to the poll is the ruling centre-left coalition who polled in below the Five Star Movement.

The largest part of the centre-left coalition, the Democratic Party (PD) saw a decline of five percent since the last national election in 2013. The centre-right Forza Italia also lost eight percent while the populist parties La Lega and the M5S made record gains.

The actual results of the vote are expected to be announced on Monday afternoon.