ROME - Both coalition parties have lost ground to a resurgent Partito Democratico in the latest polls for upcoming European elections in May, investigations by political and social research institute SWG have revealed.  

 Deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini’s League party were the hardest hit, estimated to have lost 1.1 per cent of their support in the space of a week.

 His coalition partner Luigi Di Maio’s 5 Star Movement party have also seen the tide turn against them, losing a further 0.2 per cent in what has been a tough few months for the party.

 The government has come under increasing pressure in April after it was revealed that Italy would see no growth in the current economic year and that unemployment rates were subsequently on the rise again.

 Italy now has the third highest unemployment rate in Europe, behind only Greece and Spain, and a staggering 32.8% of youths are unable to find work in their homeland.

 Nicola Zingaretti’s Partito Democratico, meanwhile, have been resurgent as they continue to build a future distant from the troubled Renzi years.

 The Partito Democratico were embarrassingly ousted from government in the May 2018 national elections.

 They have been slowly recovering since, and this was manifested by the 1.3 per cent increase in their popularity nationwide.

 The League is still, however, significantly ahead of its political adversaries with 31.8 per cent of the votes.

 The Partito Democratico have leapfrogged the 5 Star Movement and have become the second most popular party. The two now hold 22.1 per cent and 22.0 per cent of the electorate respectively.   

 European elections will be held on May 26.

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