EU Elections: Decline in Voter Turnout Among Italians

Italians began casting their votes in the European Union elections today, Sunday, to select 76 members for the parliamentary assembly. As of 14:07, the initial data from the Ministry of the Interior indicated that 14.07% of eligible voters participated. In comparison, the voter turnout was 17.8% on the first day of the 2009 elections and 20.5% in 2004. The number of voters in Italy is dwindling due to a loss of trust in the political class, which makes promises without fulfilling them, especially regarding healthcare and social services. Public healthcare services are shrinking in a country where over a third of the population is elderly, and despite high taxes and fees imposed by the state, citizens are turning to the private sector. In this context, Italian candidate Bruno Scabini stated at the "Italian Sovereignty Democratic" rally: "Citizens are losing social gains day by day, just as Italy is losing sovereignty over its land and lacks a foreign policy that supports its people, aligning with U.S. policies. We demand Italy's exit from NATO. Italy should unite with its surroundings, that is, the Mediterranean countries."