Why Italy’s election could be blockbuster 

THE EYES of much of the globe are already on November’s US mid-term elections. However, before then there is another national ballot over 5000 miles away that could also have huge international repercussions.

On Sep 25, Italy goes to the polls, and the result may trigger a potential political earthquake in Europe that could ripple across the rest of the world. For polls indicate that it is most likely that the nation may elect its first far-right prime minister since the war, Giorgia Meloni, in a coalition that may even secure a two-thirds super majority in the legislature that would allow for far-reaching constitutional change, including a potential shift from a prime ministerial to a presidential system.

Italy is a pivotal state in the West, not only because of its membership of the G7 and the fact that it has the third largest economy in the Eurozone. It has wider systemic importance in Europe too; having the biggest debt load in the single currency area spawns fears that if the nation gets into trouble, it could spark a wider sovereign debt crisis.