Italy’s Salvini calls for early elections

ROME: Italian far-right leader Matteo Salvini said on Monday the government was making a hash of rebooting the country after the coronavirus pandemic and called for an early general election.

His anti-immigrant League is the most popular party in Italy, but has been in opposition since Salvini last year pulled out of a coalition with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement in a failed bid to rule alone.

Italians will be heading to the ballot boxes this autumn for regional elections and for a referendum on reducing the number of members of parliament. The exact dates of those votes have yet to be set.“Let’s ask the people to vote (as well) on a government that will last five years and has clear ideas,” Salvini said.