February 19, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The opposition House of Freedom (Casa) remains the most popular political group in Italy, according to a poll by Ekma Ricerche Srl. 46.5 per cent of respondents would vote for the alliance of centre-right parties in the next election to the Chamber of Deputies. The governing centre-left Union (Unione) is in second place with 45.8 per cent.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The opposition House of Freedom (Casa) remains the most popular political group in Italy, according to a poll by Ekma Ricerche Srl. 46.5 per cent of respondents would vote for the alliance of centre-right parties in the next election to the Chamber of Deputies. The governing centre-left Union (Unione) is in second place with 45.8 per cent.

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2006. The Union, led by Romano Prodi, secured 348 seats in the lower house and 158 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to a centre-right government headed by Silvio Berlusconi.

In May 2006, Prodi was formally appointed as prime minister. The Union leader had previously served as head of government from May 1996 to October 1998.

On Feb. 15, Prodi ruled out supporting India's bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations (UN) Security Council, declaring, "Since many years it is an area of difference, the only problem between us. Our goal is the same, to adapt the UN to current reality. But we will have more exchange of views on this difficult problem."

Polling Data

Voting Intention - Chamber of Deputies

	Feb. 2007	Jan. 2007	Dec. 2006
House of Freedom (Centre-Right) Forwards Italy (Forza Italia) National Alliance (AN) Northern League (LN) Union of Christian and Centre-Democrats (UDC) Christian Democracy (DC) and New Italian Socialist Party (Nuovo PSI) Other centre-right	46.5%	53.0%	54.0%
Union (Centre-Left) Democrats of the Left (DS) Democracy and Liberty (La Margherita) Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) Italian Democratic Socialist (SDI) Popular Alliance (UDEUR) Party of Italian Communists (PCI) Green Federation (Verdi) Italian Socialist Party of Craxi (PSI-Craxi) Italy of Values (Lista di Pietro) Other centre-left	45.8%	45.4%	43.5%
Other parties	1.7%	1.6%	2.5%

Source: Ekma Ricerche Srl
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Italian adults, conducted on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, 2007. No margin of error was provided.