ROME – Polls carried out by Ipsos for the Corriere della Sera newspaper saw Brothers of Italy party in first place with 21.5 percent of the votes, however 40.6 percent of Italians abstained, as told by il Fatto Quotidiano.

 According to the survey the far-right party led by Giorgia Meloni has grown by 1.8 percent in the last month. The Democratic Party dropped to second place with 20.9 percent of the votes. The League party was in third place with 17.5 percent of the votes, having lost 0.5 percent from the previous poll. The Five Star Movement (M5S) dropped 0.9 percent since last month, with 14.5 percent of votes - the party’s lowest result in two years. Support for Forza Italia has also decreased, now to 8.1 percent, while the Action Plus Europe Federation gained a 3.6 percent approval.

 The Chief executive officer of Ipsos Italia Nando Pagnoncelli said that the percentage of abstentions has remained steadily above 40 percent since January. Some are still undecided and others do not intend to vote.

 As favour for the Brothers of Italy party increases, so does the support for its leader. Meloni’s approval rating currently sits at 37 percent. The M5S leader Giuseppe Conte’s approval rating is stable at 36 percent, while Roberto Speranza from the centre-left Article One party has 35 percent. Enrico Letta from the Democratic Party has a 28 percent approval, while Emma Bonino from More Europe and Silvio Berlusconi both sit at 26 percent. Matteo Salvini, leader of the League, has slid to a 24 percent approval rating, his lowest result since 2016.

 The results of the polls also point to approval for government. Some 57 percent approve of what they are doing, while Prime Minister Mario Draghi received 60 percent approval rating.

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