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Italy is set for a hung parliament with Centre-right, Centre-left, 5 Star Movement not able to secure a majority - a Grand Coalition is needed

Three options: Centre-right with some support from the centre-left, 5 Star Movement with some support from the centre-left or 5 Star Movement and the League

Italy election is a t riumph of anti-establishment rhetoric - the victory is in the same league as Brexit and Trump from the eurozone's third largest country.

More than half of the voters have backed the Five Star Movement and the League.

Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party has had an abysmal election - falling to about 19% of the vote Determined Italians waited in long queues at polling booths on Sunday to vote in an election that could change history in Europe amid a growing populist movement in the bloc. Exit polls show former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right party and his far-right allies, Lega Nord, could emerge as the largest bloc in parliament but fall short of a majority. While the anti-establishment Five Star Movement has emerged as the biggest single party, according to exit polls.

Italy's national broadcaster showed its first exit polls as: M5S 29 per cent - 32 per cent

Forza Italia 13 to 16 per cent

Lega 13 to 16 per cent

PD 20.5 to 23.5 per cent Polling stations closed at 11pm (10pm GMT). The vote is being held under a complex new electoral law that could mean the final result will not be clear until late on Monday. Here is the latest news as Express.co.uk brings you live updates on the Italian Election 2018.

AFP GETTY - REUTERS - EPA Italian election results LIVE updates: Polls CLOSE

Tuesday, March 6 12.09am update: Outsider parties have a history od success in Italy Dr Paolo Cossarini from Loughborough University has said the anti-establishment result of the election is not unusual in Italy. Speaking to Express.co.uk he said:”Overall, I think this election is another result of the long wave of people's reaction against the traditional party system and politic class that in Italy started 25 years ago when Berlusconi firstly appeared in the political scene, and that is quite common after the last financial-economic crisis in Europe (Portugal,Spain, France, Greece, have all changed governments in recent years). “

Monday, March 5 11.13pm update: Possible scenarios of Italian election These are the possible outcomes of the Italian election, according to Paolo Cossarini teaching fellow in politics and international relations at Loughborough University. The Left option. 5SM + PD + LeU: “This option has been on the table, but Renzi's resignation seems to have closed this option,” Dr Cossarini said. The Right option: 5SM + FI + LN “Here, the 5SM would be less comfortable, as much of its electoral support and political program is more on the (populist) centre-left, for a pro state driven economy, minimum wage, etc. quite far from the neo-conservatists, and radical-right positions that advocate for less tax, and less state. 'Minority' government "The 'minority' government based on an issue-by-issue basis - which is something that is becoming a common narrative in many European countries - might be also presented as an option." Fresh election "If no doable coalition is possible, Mattarella then could also decide to call for new, fresh election."

10.34pm update: Italian politics has always been 'hard to predict' Italian politics has always been difficult to understand and hard to predict, Paolo Cossarini teaching fellow in politics and international relations at Loughborough University told Express.co.uk. “The 5SM seems to be the pivotal party, the one that will most likely be in any government formations, strong of its electoral results. Although, technically speaking (but quite improbable), there might also be a government of all against the 5SM,” Dr Cossarini said. “President Mattarella will listen to the candidate and will decide who's to initiate talks to form a government - talks internal to the pre-electoral coalition have already started. “5SM will formally propose Luigi di Maio; LN will propose Matteo Salvini. It would not be surprising that other political forces will propose a 'third' personality as to offer an alternative to the impasse.”

Italian election 2018 LIVE pictures: Who will win Italy election? Sun, March 4, 2018 Silvio Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini, Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Renzi battle it out to become the next Prime Minister Play slideshow TWITTER 1 of 8 Italian election exit polls show Five Star Movement surge

9.33pm update: Nigel Farage warns Italian election result will crush Brussels Nigel Farage has claimed the Italian election result could crush the European Union after Luigi di Maio’s anti-establishment Five Star Movement secured 32.5 percent of the vote – becoming the first single party in Italy. The former Ukip leader who played a leading role in Britain’s decision to leave the European Union has claimed “the end of the EU is nigh” after the Italian election vote. The comments come after the anti-establishment Five Star Movement secured over 30 percent of the vote in the Italian election becoming the first single party in Italy ahead of the incumbent Democratic Party (DC). Speaking on his LBC show, Ukip MEP Farage said: “This is a massive, massive anti-establishment vote it is a big shift towards euroscepticism. READ MORE: ‘The END of the EU is nigh’ Nigel Farage warns Italian election result will crush Brussels

8.46pm update: Coalition members agree to Salvini becoming next PM Italian election winners Forza Italia and Fratelli d'Italia announced they will support the candidacy of eurosceptic Lega leader Matteo Salvini after a resounding victory at the polls. Fratelli d'Italia leader Giorgia Meloni said her party was committed to seeing eurosceptic Matteo Salvini receive the opportunity to form the next Italian Government. The centre-right coalition led by controversial former PM Silvio Berlusconi win 37 percent of the votes at the Italian election 2018 held on March 4. Ms Meloni confirmed she will ask Italian President Sergio Mattarella to give Mr Salvini the mandate, saying: "The first thing we need to do when we meet with President Mattarella is to tell him that our personal point of view is that the forming the government is up to the centre-right coalition. "According to a rule we agreed inside the coalition, the role of PM must go to Matteo Salvini. Fratelli d'Italia will respect that commitment."

8.06pm update: Steve Bannon compares Italian vote to Trump triumph Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon compared the success of the far-right League to Trump’s victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. “They got 20 percent of the votes in Tuscany, which is traditionally a turf of the left, or the center left: This is equivalent to Wisconsin going to Trump,” Bannon said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Weltwoche published Monday. Bannon, who had previously suggested he supported Matteo Salvini, head of the League, said he believed a coalition between the League and the 5Star Movement could work for Italy. “If they were to come together or you see them coming together with other populist parties, it really gives you a bigger mandate to govern,” he said.

7.26pm update: Italian election results so far This is the provisional result, with 99 percent of districts announced and 99.9 percent of the votes counts. Lower chamber (Camera dei Deputati) Five Star Movement - 32.64 percent

Democratic Party - 18.71 percent

Lega - 17.39 percent

Forza Italia - 14.02 percent Upper chamber (Camera del Senato) Five Star Movement - 32.18 percent

Democratic Party - 19.13 percent

Lega - 17.64 percent

Forza Italia - 14.44 percent

7.02pm: National Front tweets support to Salvin's Lega Nord party The far-right party National Front tweeted its praise for Lega Nord on Monday afternoon, calling it a “historic vote.” The tweet said: “Congratulations to our Italian Lega allies for their historic vote in the legislative elections! People are waking up, Europe of Nations is on the move and nothing will stop it!”

Bravo à nos alliés italiens de la #Lega pour leur score historique aux élections législatives ! Les peuples se réveillent, l'Europe des Nations est en marche et rien ne l'arrêtera ! ������������ #elezioni2018 pic.twitter.com/PLy1w2cKmS — Front National (@FN_officiel) March 5, 2018

6.30pm update: Market reaction to Italian election The euro edged higher on Monday after a short-lived sell-off tied to Italy's inconclusive weekend election, helped by the creation of a coalition government in Germany that eased political uncertainty there. Italy's election, which pointed to prolonged political jitters after right-wing and eurosceptic parties did better than expected, was somewhat balanced by Germany's Social Democrats agreeing to join with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, ending a period of uncertainty in Europe's biggest economy. Taken together, the election outcomes did not to alter investors' view on the strength of the euro zone economy, although the Italian results put political risks in the region back on the radar. "All in all, they are neutral to slightly positive for the euro," said Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency strategy at Wells Fargo Securities in New York.

5.42pm update: Forza Italia says centre-right bloc should get mandate to govern Forza Italia said in a statement on Monday afternoon the centre-right bloc should be given a mandate to govern Italy, after party leader Berlusconi and Lega leader Matteo Salvini had met. Berlusconi tweeted: "This afternoon President Berlusconi met Matteo Salvini. Congratulating him he has confirmed that thanks to this result centre-right powers will strengthen the coalition which will need to obtain a mandate to govern Italy to restart the country." Preliminary results show Lega surpassing Forza Italia by about three percentage points.

Questo pomeriggio il Presidente Berlusconi ha incontrato Matteo Salvini. Nel complimentarsi con lui ha confermato che con questo risultato le forze del centro-destra potranno rafforzare la coalizione che dovrà ottenere il mandato di governare l’Italia per far ripartire il Paese. — Forza Italia (@forza_italia) March 5, 2018

5.29pm update: Matteo Renzi quits as leader of Democratic Party Matteo Renzi has quit as leader of centre-left Democratic Party after his party suffered huge losses in yesterday's Italian election. Despite overseeing a modest economic recovery, the ruling centre-left coalition trailed a distant third on 22 percent, hit by widespread anger over persistent poverty, high unemployment and an influx of more than 600,000 migrants over the past four years. Renzi has said he believed the party should not make any post-election pacts with "extremist parties" and will be in opposition to the next government. The PD took just under 20 percent of the vote in Sunday's ballot, its worst result since its creation in 2007, despite presiding over a modest recovery in the euro zone's third-largest economy. Beaten by the anti-system 5-Star Movement and a centre-right coalition dominated by the eurosceptic Lega, Renzi acknowledged the defeat at PD headquarters in Rome. "It is obvious that I will leave the helm of the PD," said Renzi, who quit as prime minister when Italians voted against him in a 2016 referendum on constitutional reform. Despite his decision to stand aside, he said he expected his party to shun any coalition talks. "The Italian people have asked us to be in opposition and that is where we will go," he said." We will never form a government with anti-system forces," he added, referring to the 5-Star and the League. No one party or coalition came close to a working majority, but 5-Star and the League said they must be in government, as investors dumped Italian government bonds. Party rivals complained Renzi had moved too far to the right and led with a domineering, autocratic hand, eventually leading to a small left-wing group splitting off last year.

Getty Italian election 2018: Matteo Renzi has resigned as leader of PD

4.50pm update: Latest results for This graphic shows the latest results from the Italian election, with 99 percent of districts declared. As it stands the centre-right bloc holds 37 percent of the vote and Five Star Movement 32.67 percent, with 61.346 million sections announced out of 61.401. As it stands the centre-right bloc holds 37 percent of the vote and Five Star Movement 32.67 percent, with 61.346 million sections announced out of 61.401. There are still 15 uninominal colleges yet to be announced. It had been hoped the final result would be clear sometime after 2pm local time (1pm GMT), however the elections are being held under new electoral laws, which came into effect in November last year.This is the first election to be held under the new Rosatellum Bis syste which institutes a single election round between candidates, in which the candidate with the largest number of votes wins. It had been hoped the final result would be clear sometime after 2pm local time (1pm GMT), however the elections are being held under new electoral laws, which came into effect in November last year.This is the first election to be held under the new Rosatellum Bis syste which institutes a single election round between candidates, in which the candidate with the largest number of votes wins. The country is divided into electoral districts, in which 231 uninominal electoral colleges are created, divided on the basis of the national population.

elezioni.interno.gov.it Italian election 2018: Latest results of the Italian election

4.24pm update: Results of voters abroad in Europe (62 per cent counted) PD-S&D: 32.0%

LEGA-ENF, FI-EPP, FdI-*: 25.5%

M5S-EFDD: 23.9%

+EU-*: 7.9%

LeU-S&D: 5.4%

NcI-*, UDC-EPP: 2.0%

MDL-*: 1.9%

CPL-*: 1.1%

PRI-*: 0.3% 4.02pm update: Italy's inconclusive parliamentary election leaves open a wide range of possible alliances. Here are some of the possible scenarios: FIVE-STAR AND LA LEGA: The solution feared most by markets is a marriage between 5-Star and the far-right League. Projections based on results show the two would have a parliamentary majority and there are wide overlaps in their manifestos, with both calling for greater spending on welfare, a rejection of EU deficit rules and a crackdown on illegal immigration. They both used to call for Italy to quit the euro, but while 5-Star says the moment has now passed, the League says it still wants to leave the single currency at the first politically feasible moment. League leader Matteo Salvini last year said he was open to hooking up with 5-Star, but has since said he will not abandon his rightist bloc. FIVE-STAR AND PD: Five-Star's seats in combination with the PD, perhaps with extra support by the far-left Free and Equal party, is another possibility. While more reassuring for the markets, the PD, which has governed since 2013, has been the main target of 5-Star's vitriol. The movement has accused the PD of mismanaging the economy, and characterised its members as inherently corrupt. In the immediate aftermath of the vote, they still seem incompatible and the PD has said it plans to be in opposition. CENTRE-RIGHT WITH SOME OPPONENTS: On Monday, Salvini said the centre-right would seek to govern, claiming leadership of the bloc that Silvio Berlusconi has steered since 1994. The centre-right drew about 37 percent of the vote promising to loosen the state's purse strings by passing a "flat tax" of 23 percent for all households. But the centre-right would need practically the whole of the PD to swing to their side in order to have a majority in parliament, making this option unlikely. ALL IN: The idea of 5-Star, the PD and the main centre-right parties all joining together in the best interest of the country is another option. This would give 5-Star, as the biggest party, a major role in government, with all parties agreeing before its formation what the government should do while in power. The lifespan of such an administration would likely be about a year. Even during the campaign, 5-Star appeared open to such a solution in the case of electoral deadlock, as long as others accepted the 5-Star conditions. NEW ELECTIONS: President Mattarella is the man pulling the strings in the post-vote period. He will choose someone to try to form a government as he cajoles former rivals to get over the rancour of the campaign. If he should fail, he may have no choice but to dissolve parliament and repeat the vote, but that is the option Mattarella most wants to avoid, sources told Reuters before the election.

3.52pm: Italy's parliamentary election on Sunday has ended in deadlock, but votes are still being counted and there is not yet a definitive breakdown of parliamentary seats The following is a projection by YouTrend of the distribution of seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate based on partial results. Definitive results are expected later on Monday. Lower House chamber (630 seats, majority 316): 5-Star Movement 228 The League 124 Forza Italia (Go Italy!) 104 Brothers of Italy 33 Democratic Party (PD) 109 Free and Equal 14 Other Centre-left 9 Other Centre-right 6 ? Senate (315 seats, majority 158): 5-Star Movement 113 The League 57 Forza Italia 57 Brothers of Italy 17 Democratic Party 53 Free and Equal 5 Other Centre-left 6 Other Centre-right 5 3.05pm: International leaders have commented on the results so far Geert Wilders tweeted: “Congratulations to Matteo Salvini, both in English and in Italian, from the Dutch anti-EU leader of Pvv Geert Wilders. “Lega and Pvv are part of the same political group at the European Parliament.” But the EU has been surprisingly quiet so far. The EU Commission has not yet commented on the electoral results in Italy because they are not yet final, the spokesman of President Jean Claude Juncker said. But they reiterated the "trust in President Mattarella who will be able to facilitate the formation of a stable government.” 3pm update: Latest results live As of 3pm GMT, the centre-right coalition seems to be storming ahead with 37 percent of the vote combined. Of the group, Lega - formerly Lega Nord - have the lead with 17.41 percent over Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia on 14 percent. Five Star Movement - now the largest single party in Italian politics - lags slightly behind the coalition on 32.66 percent. And limping behind in third place is former prime minister’s Matteo Renzi’s centre-left coalition, with just 22.86 percent of the vote.

2.43pm: Only eight regions of Italy are yet to declare their election results Most of the constituencies have already finalised their count apart from eight remaining. Those still ‘in progress’ who have not declared are: Calabria, Campania 2, Emilia Romagna, Lazio 1, Lazio 2, Lombardia 2, Sardegna and Toscana. Calabria - declared seven of eight

Campania 2 - declared nine of ten

Emilia Romagna - declared 16 of 17

Lazio 1 — declared 1 of 14

Lazio 2 - declared 4 of 7

Lombardi 2 - declared six of eight

Sardegna - declared five of six

Toscana - declared 13 of 14 2.36pm update: Berlin hopes for stability for EU after vote German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said Berlin hopes Italy will emerge with a “stable government for the good of Italy and Europe,” according to Ansa news agency. When asked if Merkel feared the results might slow down EU reform efforts, Seibert said: "The definitive result of the elections has not yet come. "Italy is a profound friend and partner and we hope for a stable government for the good of the country and Europe.” 2.20pm update: Alessandro Di Battista (M5S) says Renzi and Berlusconi must go He tweeted: "Renzi and Berlusconi, two politicians who have repeatedly betrayed Italian citizens, must disappear from the political scene. "I hope they do it as soon as possible!" 2pm update: Man shot dead in Florence, Italy as results continue to pour in Police and rescuers have been pictured standing near the body of a man who was shot dead near the Vespucci bridge in Florence, Italy, today. The man was shot near the central Vespucci bridge, in an incident where a man has been arrested in connection. A medical team managed to revive the victim, but he died 40 minutes later. 1.59pm update: The two anti-establishment leaders made early plays to govern Italy on Monday The power plays sent ripples across the eurozone after voters relegated mainstream parties to the sidelines in delivering a hung parliament. With the bloc's third-largest economy seemingly facing prolonged political instability, the anti-immigrant League claimed the right to rule after its centre-right alliance won the largest bloc of votes.

Italian election pictures: Who won the Italy Election 2018? Mon, March 5, 2018 Italian election pictures: Who won the Italy Election 2018? Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 21 Candidate of Five Stars Movement Alfonso Bonafede

1.53pm update: Financial expert Davide Serra said Italy had been hit by the Trump and Brexit impact The CEO and founder of Algebris told Bloomberg News, he said: “I think the result mimics very much the Brexit vote and Trump vote. “So basically, we want a change.” Mr Serra said the people in Italy are unhappy with its stagnant economy. He said: “At a time where you have seen the number, GDP on a per capita basis has been flat for 20 years. And people are unhappy. “If you add to this massive uncontrolled immigration you get what I call a Trump or Brexit effect. “Italy has just seen a Trump and Brexit effect at the same time.” 1.38pm update: Luigi Di Maio hails his party as “absolute winners” of Italian election The Five Star leader said in a press conference today: “For M5S, these political elections were a triumph. “We are the absolute winners of these elections. And so, first of all, thanks to about eleven million Italians who voted for us, giving us their trust and honouring us with their trust. “M5S tripled the number of MPs in the two chambers. And this is a great result that, among other things, we had announced during the campaign. “Today coalitions do not have the numbers to govern. And that's why we take this responsibility. “A great responsibility to give a government to Italy and also to the international community. To all those who are observing us: investors, but mainly Italian and European citizens. We are committed.” 1.31pm update: Italy takes a step back from Europe - but at what cost? Ferdinando Giugliano, a columnist for Bloomberg View, believes the result will be an “anti-establishment triumph of the same magnitude as the Brexit referendum or Donald Trump's US election victory”. But he also wrote: “For the anti-establishment parties that are rejoicing today, this will be a real test. “So far, they have sold the electorate a future made up of free money. However, reality is much harder. “They may not like European rules, but for now they have to work within them. “As for leaving the euro, that’s much easier said than done. “The risk is that they end up like Greece’s Alexis Tsipras: Turning their backs on the promises they have made because the alternative would be disastrous.”

REUTERS Italian election: Luigi Di Maio says Five Star is a force that represents an entire nation

1.23pm update: Italy journalist Rachel Donadio says PD losses were not a surprise The Paris-based correspondent for The Atlantic and ex-Rome Bureau chief tweeted: "Outside Italy, the question is why the centre-left Democratic Party did so badly. "Inside Italy, the question is how it held up so well." 1.19pm update: Lega Nord leader praises FACEBOOK as a reason behind support surge Matteo Salvini, head of the right-wing League party, says he wants an Italy that's "modern, efficient, transparent and federal." He also thanked the press, social media and even the Internet - saying: "Thank God social media exists, thank God Facebook exists." As he conceded his party may have won big on xenophobia and economic insecurity, Salvini said the era of the euro is "over", He added he wants a "stronger" Europe but with more freedom for countries, that Hungary's Viktor Orban has "a healthier" idea of how to be in Europe." 1.08pm update: Five Star and Lega victory sends clear message to Brussels According to economist and newly elected Northern League MP Claudio Borghi, today’s results send a clear message to Brussels. “The will of the Italian people is clear, the parties in support of what the EU has done have been downsized. It’s a very strong message,” Borghi told Italy’s Sky TG24. 12.52pm update: Italy will not see a Five Star - Lega coalition government Richard Turnill, BlackRock’s Global Chief Investment Strategist, said: “Lega is emerging stronger than Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia within the centre-right coalition. “The 5-Star Movement’s (M5S) performance has beat poll forecasts, making the anti-establishment party a likely linchpin in any potential government. “Yet neither party campaigned on an anti-euro message, focusing more on domestic issues. “We believe it unlikely that M5S will partner with Lega to form a government. “Lega’s ambition is to lead the centre-right coalition rather than be a junior partner in an unstable alliaince with M5S. “A new Italian parliament needs to be convened by March 23, yet negotiations are likely to drag on beyond then. Political noise is poised to remain high until a sustainable coalition emerges.” 12.30pm: French president says Italy results shows Europe must not forget the average citizen - a lesson clearly not learned from Brexit Emmanuel Macron said on Monday Italian election results were a reminder that Europeans should not only fight for lofty ideas but also take into account ordinary citizens' efforts to cope with the strains of immigration. "I take note that, in the world we live in, you can fight for great ideas, but you can't do that without taking into account a brutal context. "And Italy has, it's undeniable, suffered for months and months under the pressure of migration. This very strong migration pressure is a context we should keep in mind." Macron added he remained prudent on the results, pending the Italian president's decision to form a government. 12.27pm update: Markets have nothing to fear from a Lega-led government "The markets have nothing to fear," League leader Matteo Salvini told reporters in Milan, hours after the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement also claimed the right to govern as the biggest single party. Shares, bonds and the euro all weakened on prospects of an administration led by eurosceptic parties promising to ramp up spending. The League's economics chief on Monday raised the prospect of a ruling alliance with 5-Star, which would likely be euro-sceptic and be little interested in further European integration. 12.20pm update: UKIP tweeted their response to the Five Star surge earlier this morning The British anti-EU party wrote: "The election in Italy just adds more weight that the EU project is not working. But we all know what the EU's response will be, don't we? 'More Europe'."

12.11pm update: Margaritis Schinas, the European Commission’s spokesperson, reacted to the news in Italy “We understand that the official results will not be announced until later today. "We have confidence in President Matarella’s abilities to facilitate the formation of a stable government in Italy, and in the meantime Italy has a government led by Gentiloni, with whom we are working closely.” Di Maio also said investors had no reason to worry. 12pm update: Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio said his party was ready to form a government Di Maio said his anti-EU party is a political force that represents an entire nation, which leads him “inevitably” to govern Italy. He went on to say the centre-right coalition or other groups don't have numbers to govern, but Five Star takes its responsibility seriously and remains open to talks with all political parties. Di Maio added he was confident the president will know how to guide Italy during the post-election period with sensibility. “These elections have been a triumph for the 5Star Movement, we are the absolute winners,” Luigi Di Maio said at party headquarters in Rome. “We are a political force that represents the whole country. That’s why we feel the responsibility to give Italy a government. “We are ready to talk with all the other political forces, starting from the election of the two speakers of the chambers."

REUTERS Italian election: Luigi Di Maio said Five Star was ready to form a government

11.37am update: The Italian election on March 4th has resulted in a relatively ungovernable country Carlo Alberto De Casa, Chief Analyst at ActivTrades told Express.co.uk the reaction of the financial markets is certainly mitigated by the German vote, with the SPD accepting the new “Grosse Koalition” with Frau Merkel. He said: “On the gray markets - before the official opening - the euro dollar had risen to 1.2360, then fell to 1.2320 after the very first numbers coming from Italy. “The recovery of the euro, deriving from the German news, has therefore been reset. The indexes seem to hold, discounting a sort of possible fact nothing on the political level in the immediate future. “At the moment the most likely scenario is ungovernability. It is legitimate to expect a negative reaction in the event of an alliance of 5-Star and Lega, especially if the issues related to the exit from the euro should resurface. “If, on the other hand, we could move towards a large coalition based on the figure of Tajani or a similar institutional figure, both the Italian index and the spread on government bonds would be much less affected. “It is clear that at the moment we should not overlook a scenario of a government with the aim of forming a new electoral law and a new vote in the fall or early 2019.” 11.25am update: MEPs urge Berlin to get out the euro’ amid election uncertainty in Italy The election results sparked panic in Germany with one of the country’s most senior MEPs urging Berlin to “get out of the euro now” after eurosceptic parties collected up 50 percent of the votes in Italy. The euro was little changed on Monday morning, despite strong support for eurosceptic movement movements in the Italian Election. But Italy has long been considered a threat to European stability because of the insecurity of its banks, on which the country’s political disharmony has a substantially bad impact. German MEP Hans-Olaf Henkel told Express.co.uk: “The majority of Italian Election results are critical toward the EU, even against the euro! “All politicians promised the moon to the Italian voters. The results will mean even higher debts than those 130 percent 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!” 11.12am update: Renzi resigns after a catastrophic election defeat Matteo Renzi, the head of Italy's Democratic Party, which suffered significant losses the national election, has decided to resign, the Italian news agency Ansa said on Monday. A Renzi spokesman said he knew nothing about such a decision. 11am update: Matteo Salvini looks set to oust Silvio Berlusconi as leader of the centre-right coalition His party have snatched at least 19 percent of the vote so far, overtaking Forza Italia as the top party in the centre-right coalition. Speaking today, Salvini said the centre-right coalition has won and will govern - but he went on to say that Lega is now the leader of the group. He added: “I am and will remain proudly populist.” Salvini also said his party, which won about 18 percent of the vote, would be willing to talk to all parties but indicated it would not take part in a "minestrone" soup coalition, apparently referring to a broad coalition government. The four-party, centre-right grouping looks set to win about 37 percent of the vote. The League has overtaken former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italy (Go Italy!) party as the largest in the coalition.

AFP Italian election: Matteo Salvini could now play kingmaker

AFP Italian election: Matteo Renzi is rumoured to have resigned

10.56am update: Matteo Salvini rules out referendum on the euro in Italy The legal leader says the euro was, is and will remain a mistake. But speaking in a press conference today, he said holding a referendum on remaining in the eurozone was unthinkable. 10.55am update: Murdered woman Pamela Mastropietro starts trending again as results drip in The election campaign was dominated by immigration reforms after a suspected migrant was arrested in relation to the death of 18-year-old Pamela Mastropietro in Macerata, Le Marche. Following the arrest, a self-proclaimed neo-fascist took to streets of Macerata and shot six migrants living in the central Italian town. Many believed the tragedy could have pushed voters towards anti-immigration parties all saying “enough is enough”. The dismembered body Miss Mastropietro was found stuffed into two suitcases, in a ditch in the countryside near Macerata on January 31. A young Nigerian immigrant Innocent Oseghale has been held on suspicion of murder and three others are also said to be under investigation. Pamela’s mum, Alessandra Verni, said: ”It is inhuman what they did to my daughter, an absurd violence. Pamela's death could have been avoided." Meanwhile the leader of the centre-right League party, Mr Salvini condemned the alleged ‘revenge’ killings of the six migrants, adding that “violence is never the solution” but blamed “out-of-control migration” for “chaos, rage, social clashes”. 10.40am update: Matteo Salvini, La Lega leader, rules out so-called 'weird alliances' amid fears he could combine with Five Star Movement Speaking at a press conference at party headquarters in Milan, he said: “This was an extraordinary victory, which fills us with proud, joy and responsibility. “Millions of Italians have asked us to join hands with this country and free it from uncertainty.” Salvini went on to say he had ruled out “weird alliances” with other political forces, adding: “The center-right is the coalition that won and that can govern.” 10.30am update: Picture of Italy becoming clearer With 74 percent of the vote counted, the centre-right coalition fronted by Silvio Berlusconi is on 37 percent of the vote. The centre-right coalition remained shy of an absolute majority of seats - but Lega, led by the 44-year-old rightwing nationalist leader Matteo Salvini, looks set to beat Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, earning 18 percent of the vote and becoming the main conservative party in Italy. The governing Democratic party led by Matteo Renzi suffered a dramatic defeat, falling to 19 percent according to projections.

REUTERS Italian election: Matteo Renzi has stood down from the PD

10.22am update: Massive damage to the Euro has been mitigated by the results coming from Germany with the SPD accepting the new “Grosse Koalition” with Angela Merkel The Euro is down a thin 0.03 percent against the Pound to 1.1201, and down 0.09 percent against the Dollar to 1.2304. The Euro is holding firm but markets have yet to fully absorb the possibility of their least desired result - a 5-Star coalition with the right-wing League. The impending result of the Italian election has been described as, “an anti-establishment triumph, of the same league as the Brexit or the Trump upsets, in the eurozone's 3rd largest country” by leading Italian political commentator Ferdinando Giugliano. Mr Giugliano describes the electoral arithmetic as “ugly” with none of the three big players - the Centre-right, Centre-left, 5 Star Movement - able to secure a majority. 10.13am update: Five Star leader hails historic result "It's a beautiful day, despite the rain" Luigi Di Maio said shortly after 10 o'clock as he left his home in Rome. "It's a historical result and it was an indescribable emotion", he added, while getting out the white car that had come to pick him up. 9.48am update: Italian ambassador reveals role EU played in vote Raffaele Trombetta said the success of Eurosceptic parties in the Italian election is due to the dissatisfaction of the public opinion towards the mainstream parties. But he warned migration was a "big issue” for Italy and the country had called on Brussels over the past two years to help with the issue. Speaking on the Today programme, Mr Trombetta said: “We have been trying to say for at least for the last two years even more to convince Brussels and above all the other European member states how important or crucial the migration issue was for the Italian people and this has been reflected in the result of the elections. “We didn’t feel that from some member states there was the support that Italy needed above all because this is a European issue. It’s not an Italian issue.” 9.40am update: French far-right politician Marine Le Pen hailed the anti-EU result in the exit polls She tweeted: "The spectacular progression and the arrival at the top of Lega’s coalition led by our ally and friend @matteosalvinimi is a new stage of people's awakening! Congratulations!" Le Pen later added: "The European Union will have a very bad night..." 9.30am updates: Stirling steadies against Euro Sterling steadied against the euro and dollar on Monday after falling last week, as political uncertainties in Italy dominated trading and investors awaited clarification from the EU on how it sees future ties with Britain. The European Union is due to publish guidelines this week, following on from a speech on Friday in which British Prime Minister Theresa May urged the bloc to be flexible in negotiating their future relationship. The pound traded flat at $1.3806 against the dollar, and down 0.1 percent versus the euro at 89.320 pence per euro . "Euro sterling pushed up to its highest levels this year last week, edging above 0.8930 with the next resistance at the 0.9020 area," said Michael Hewson, chief analyst at CMC Markets.

GETTY Italian election: Results are due around 2pm on Monday

Il Tempo Il Tempo's front page - translates as 'what a mess'

9.26am update: Regional elections: Centre-right close to 50 per cent in Lombardy The centre-right is close to 50% and Lega is the first party in the region. In Lombardy 1, which also includes the capital Milan, the centre-right is ahead with 41% while the centre-left is at 29% and the M5S at 22%; in Lombardy 2 (northern area of the region), the centre-right is at 53.7%, the centre-left at 21.1% and the M5S at 18.8%; in Lombardy 3 (east zone), the centre-right is at 55.1%, the centre-left at 22.2%, M5S at 16.9; in Lombardy 4 (south area), the centre-right is at 48.4%, the centre-left at 23% and M5S at 22.4. Only in Lombardy 1, the Democratic Party overtakes Lega, while in the other 3 districts, Matteo Salvini's party is clearly in the lead, taking between 30% and 35% of the votes. 9.16am update: Interior minister Minniti loses his seat to Five Star Movement Interior minister Marco Minniti of Matteo Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party has lost his seat to the Five Star Movement. Latest projections give Five Star Movement 231 seats of the 630 seats in the Chamber and 115 of the 315 available seats in the Senate. 9am update: Euro falls amid Italy election uncertainty after Five Star shock exit poll success The euro fell on Monday, hitting a six-month low versus the yen, after Italian election results pointed to stronger-than-expected showing for euro-sceptic parties, with no major party blocs winning an outright majority. The euro fell 0.3 percent and was traded at $1.2282, edging towards its seven-week low of $1.21545, which it touched on Thursday. Although no party won a majority, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement came out as a clear winner, looking set to become the largest single party by a wide margin. Investors are likely to take fright at any suggestion the 5-Star could form a coalition with the right-wing League. 8.55am update: La Lega hailed their shocking surge, saying: “The revolution of common sense has begun today” Despite the excellent numbers linked to Lega from the first projections, Matteo Salvini decided not to appear before the press to issue statements. The League leader os expected to comment at a press conference at 11am on Monday. But in his place overnight, party deputy secretary Lorenzo Fontana hailed the exit poll predictions. He said: “I thank all Italian citizens who have given us their trust. We wanted to thank and stress the fact that the line proposed by Matteo Salvini is the right one. “Lega goes from North to South. It was a choice that has rewarded. “In addition to this, what we see is a clear sign against that Europe that has mistreated the Italian people until now. “A Europe that has thought more about relationships, numbers, deficit, and not the well-being of Italian citizens. “This is a clear sign for all those strong powers that thought they could cage European people. It is a clear answer and for us this is only the beginning. “The revolution of common sense has begun today.”

La Stampa La Stampa's front page says Italy ungovernable

8.46am update: Italy will be “completely cut off” from Europe as the Franco-German engine prepares to relaunch the European project Emmanuel Macron yesterday vowed to push on with the 'new dawn for the EU' following news that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has finally ended months of political deadlock and formed a coalition. And today, Nathalie Tocci of the Instituto Affari Internationali Director told Bloomberg News: “Italy is going to be completely cut off from that game. So my fear is in all this that with the failure of even the attempt at restrictive politics, people are going to get angrier and angrier. I’m not quite sure what this is going to lead to.” She added: “Already we have a situation in which the country is split on Europe. “This used to be a fantastically pro-European country and now europhiles are definitely on the big retreat as we’ve seen from these electoral results.” 8:34am update: Analysts confirm M5S now controls the South M5S down from 31.56% to 31.48% but still the largest party - controls the south - as latest map shows. The Lega (18.2%) is the driving force behind the centre-right. The PD and Lega are doing equally well while Berlusconi performed worse than expected at around 13% 8am update: Maurizio Martina (Vicesecretary of PD) condemned the election as "a clear and obvious defeat for us” She said: "For us it is a very clear and obvious defeat. A number below expectations. "The most complete assessments will be given by Renzi tomorrow morning or during the day" concluded Martina, leaving the press room of the national headquarters of the PD. She went on: "It is clear that we are following, like everyone else, the evolution of the results. For us, it is a very clear and obvious defeat. Very clear. "It is a number that falls below our expectations. Of course, as I said before, it is a result that is clearly negative for us. "For any other assessments, we will wait for the next few hours." 7.46am: The Ministry of the Interior releases its latest projections Centre-Right – 37.06 percent and 9,113,509 votes Five Star Movement – 31.88 percent and 7,837,997 votes Centre-Left – 23.46 percent and 5,768,629 votes

AFP GETTY - EPA - REUTERS Italian election: Berlusconi, Renzi, Salvini and Di Maio cast their votes

Republica Italian election 2018: Map shows breakdown of votes in Italy

7.26am update: Five Star movement deputy says of exit polls projections: “Now everyone will have to come and talk to us” Alessandro Di Battista said: “If these numbers are confirmed, it will be a triumph for M5S, a remarkable apotheosis, which demonstrates the goodness of the work we have done. “And above all, it shows another thing, that everyone will have to come and talk to us and this will probably be the first time. They will have to come and talk to us. “And this, I say to all citizens, is a guarantee of transparency for the Italian people because the other political forces will have to come and talk to us using our methods of transparency, fairness, credibility, based on the proposals and solutions we want for this country. “And this will happen in the coming days, in the coming weeks. Thank you all.” Vickiie Oliphant takes over live reporting from Thomas Hunt 6:20am update: Former prime minister Matteo Renzi will hold a press conference at midday. The centre-left leader Matteo Renzi is expected to resign after projections show a disastrous outing for his movement. 6:15am update: If the current projection holds then “populism” will be victorious. Anti-establishment parties will have captured about 55 percent of the popular vote, despite the Italian economy expanding 1.5 percent last year, the fastest pace since 2010.

Italian election 2018 LIVE pictures: Who will win Italy election? Sun, March 4, 2018 Silvio Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini, Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Renzi battle it out to become the next Prime Minister Play slideshow TWITTER 1 of 8 Italian election exit polls show Five Star Movement surge

6:08am update: The result “that Europe was afraid of” has come true. Italian paper La Stampa’s columnist Marcello Sorgi wrote: “The March 4 vote yielded a result that Europe was afraid of and Italy perhaps did not expect on this scale. “Defeated everywhere else in Europe, populism won here. Either it can govern or it will block the system.” 6:05am update: The results are still being counted but differ slightly from the projections. Five Star's support is slipping a bit to about 31 per cent, from a projection of 33 per cent earlier. Alessandro Di Battista, a leading figure in the Five-Star movement, said: "Everyone is going to have to come talk with us. That will be the first time that happens." 5:48am update: The Five Star Movement share secrets to the election success. One party official said: “One of our strengths was the ability to create a dense network on social media. “We have a lot of different personalities within the movement whose posts have been shared again and again. We were truly able to interact with our supporters.” 5:18am update: Analysts have predicted a period of “instability for Italy”. Fabio Fois, a European Economist at Barclays Investment Bank, said: ”We expect the formation of a wide and heterogeneous coalition that could include anti-system parties. “We do not expect such a coalition to deliver meaningful structural reforms, and depending on its composition, we see the risk that previous reforms could be unraveled. “Over the medium term, we remain of the view that the next legislature will be characterised by political instability that could culminate in government crisis and or snap elections." 4:39am update: Which party or coalition will win the right to form a government? Luigi Di Maio, leader of The Five Star Movement (M5S), is expected to demand – as the single party with the most votes – that President Sergio Mattarella hands them the opportunity to form a government first. Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition has a projected combined 35 per cent of the vote, compared to M5S’ projected 33 per cent, and experts believe they will also demand the right to form a government.

AFP Italian election exit polls show Five Star surge

Congratulations to my colleagues in the European Parliament @Mov5Stelle for topping the poll tonight. — Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) March 5, 2018

4:30am update: A think tank named CISE have published an early election results analysis. Headed by the political scientist Roberto D’Alimonte, the group said: “The growth of M5S appears to be closely associated with the Italian provinces with a higher unemployment rate. “It is an effect that also supports taking into account various socio-economic indicators (variables related to economic prosperity and immigration) as well as the geographical area. The vote in the League is higher in the provinces where the rate of foreigners has increased. “Also in this case it is an effect that also supports taking into account various socio-economic indicators (variables related to economic prosperity and immigration) as well as the geographical area.” 4:02am update: Top Democratic Party ministers struggling to get re-elected. Italy's Democratic Party, Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, who is also the former chief economist of the OECD, is neck-and-neck with the League's candidate Carlo Borghi for a seat in Siena - the PD's heartland. 2:44am update: The latest Senate projections. Pollster SWG predicts the Centre-Right which is Berlusconi's coalition will have 127-147 seats. The 5 Star Movement are heading for between 95 and 115 seats. The Centre-left which comprises of Renzi and allies are due to get 50-70 seats. 2:32am update: Nigel Farage has offered his congratulations to Italy’s Five Star Movement. His words have come as the latest exit polls show that the eurosceptic Five Star Movement is now the single largest party in the election. Mr Farage tweeted: “Congratulations to my colleagues in the European Parliament Five Star Movement for topping the poll tonight.”

GETTY Italy waits while the votes are counted

1:55am update: Matteo Renzi to resign? Democratic Party secretary and former prime minister Matteo Renzi may have to resign if the projections are confirmed by the final vote count. 1:38am update: Based on votes counted a Senate seat projection has been revealed. Italy's Senate seat projection based on actual vote count sees 5-Star taking 102-122 seats, 158 needed for a majority, according to RAI TV. 1:22am update: Projections show the Five Star Movement hold all the cards. Silvia Merler, an analyst at the Bruegel think tank, said: “A grand coalition of Forza Italia and the Democratic Party is clearly off the table now, the Five Star Movement will be pivotal for any potential government. “Will they prove responsible? Will they choose to open talks with the Democrats or with the Northern League? Italy's economic future in the short term depends on that.” 1:07am update: A greater move to the right could be on the cards hen Lower House votes are counted. Most projections so far are for the Senate, where only over-25s vote. For the Lower House, where the voting age is 18, non-establishment parties could do even better. 12:28pm update: A reviewed projection has been released based on the actual vote count. If correct the Democratic Party (PD) would have 18.1 per cent, Lega Nord would have 15.8 per cent and Forza Italia would have 13.9 per cent, according to Mediaset.

GETTY Alessandro Di Battista, Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement lawmaker giving a speech

Sunday March 4 11:50pm update: Experts are worried there is a growing risk the stalemate will be tough to manage. It is feared forming a cross-party grand coalition will take weeks of negotiations and still not assure a positive outcome. 11:20pm update: The markets are currently analysing the situation. The euro is very close to the level that the currency was at prior to the release of the exit polls. The euro rose to a two-week high of $1.2365 after 5-Star failed to win a clear majority, but talk the party could form a coalition government soon dragged it back to $1.2310. 11:15pm: Thomas Hunt is now taking over from Rebecca Perring

La mia prima parola: GRAZIE! pic.twitter.com/DRXiWVAHQp — Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) March 4, 2018

10:43pm update: 5-Star Movement will be 'central' to the next governmentAlfonso Bonafede, a close ally of 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maioy said:"We will be a pillar of the legislature."Exit polls showed 5-Star as the largest party by a wide margin, although a centre-right coalition including former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi looked set to win the most seats. 5-Star Movement will be 'central' to the next governmentAlfonso Bonafede, a close ally of 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maioy said:"We will be a pillar of the legislature."Exit polls showed 5-Star as the largest party by a wide margin, although a centre-right coalition including former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi looked set to win the most seats. 10:21pm update: Matteo Renzi's ruling Democratic Party (PD) was projected to win 25 to 28 per cent

This means the PD itself might end up only the fourth-largest group in the lower house of parliament 10:18pm update: Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy!) was seen winning 12.5 to 15.5 per cent - the same as the Lega (Northern League) 10:08pm update: Italy could be heading for a hung parliament A centre-right coalition is set to win most seats in parliament ahead of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, with the centre-left third, according to the exit polls. However, the centre-right, made up of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy!), and the far-right League and Brothers of Italy, are seen falling some way short of an absolute majority needed to govern, pollsters said. 10:03pm update: Five Star Movement is now the single largest party in the election, according to exit polls. The anti-EU party recieved approximately 30 per cent of the vote, according to exit polls on Rai state television and private channel La 7 The anti-EU party recieved approximately 30 per cent of the vote, according to exit polls on Rai state television and private channel La 7 10:02pm: Rebecca Perring is now taking over from Vickiie Oliphant

GETTY The votes are being counted after the polls closed in the Italian election