Judul : Wooing voters: what Italy’s parties are promising
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Wooing voters: what Italy’s parties are promising
As Italy prepares to go to the polls on March 4, each party has laid out its platform for the voters to consider.
ROME: Italy will vote on March 4 in a general election shrouded in uncertainty. Voters have the choice between several factions: a volatile right-wing coalition, maverick populists, a lagging centre-left bloc, or leftist rebels.
Here are the positions on key issues of those vying for the top spot.
Flamboyant former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is back on the political scene leading his centre-right Forza Italia in coalition with two far-right parties: the Northern League, headed by Matteo Salvini, and the smaller Brothers of Italy.
The right-wing coalition is currently leading in opinion polls, but it is an uneasy alliance.
They agree on immigration which is key to the coalition’s political agenda, promising not only to stop migrants from arriving in Italy but also to deport hundreds of thousands.
They are also pledging to wage war on austerity, invest in the labour market and renegotiate EU fiscal rules which punish high-debt countries such as Italy.
The coalition has proposed a controversial flat tax but has squabbled over the amount. While Berlusconi has put the rate at 23%, Salvini is promising just 15%.
Salvini wants to overhaul the pension system, but Berlusconi is wary of the cost. The media magnate has preferred to woo voters with tax benefits for domestic pet owners and a mass regularisation of illegal building work.
The anti-establishment Five Star Movement is currently the leading party in the polls, with around 28% support, but they are a long way short of an absolute majority needed to govern.
Created in 2009 by outspoken former comedian Beppe Grillo, the populists have risen to prominence amid an outpouring of frustration and anger with mainstream political parties.
They are being notably quiet on Europe after abandoning the idea of a referendum on dropping the euro in Italy.
Instead, they have suggested on a universal income scheme, a proposal which has made them particularly popular with young voters.
They are also pledging income tax cuts and pension hikes and have promised to slash Italy’s infamous red tape for businesses.
Their solution to the migrant crisis is to forge bilateral agreements with the countries of origin for the repatriation of illegal immigrants.
They also hope to win the family vote with the offer of reimbursing childcare costs and diapers.
Former premier Matteo Renzi is hoping to win back the top spot with his ruling Democratic Party and three other smaller centre and more radical groups.
The centre-left bloc, which has been flagging in the polls, is going big on measures to combat Italy’s struggling economy.
It proposes tax cuts for businesses, families, and the country’s poorest, as well as the introduction of a guaranteed minimum wage and investment in infrastructure, research and education.
The pro-EU bloc is also calling for the creation of a “United States of Europe,” for the president of the European Commission to be elected by a Europe-wide direct vote, and for the creation of a finance minister for the eurozone.
The bloc wants migrants to be distributed among the EU states and is also pushing for integration measures proposing that for “every euro invested in security, a euro should be invested in culture.”
Several left-wing groups and breakaway factions of the Democratic Party have come together under the banner “Liberi e Uguali” (Free and Equal), led by Senate speaker Pietro Grasso.
The group wants to boost the economy through a switch to green energy, as well as legalise same-sex marriage and adoption.
It also proposes a review of the so-called gig economy lacking in permanent jobs, cuts in income taxes, and an increase in benefits to support the country’s poorest.
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