Italy to head to polls for crucial elections on Sunday

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - More than 50 million Italians will head to polls on Sunday for a snap parliamentary election.

The snap elections came after Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella dissolved parliament and called early elections for Sept. 25, marking the end of the government led by Premier Mario Draghi.

More than 50.8 million people are eligible to vote in Italy's one of most crucial elections, with over 4 million Italians living abroad have already cast their votes.

Fifty-one percent of the voters are women in Italy, a country with a population of 59 million.

Voters who are older than 18 will also be able to elect the members of the parliament's upper chamber, a first in Italian history, which was made possible following the endorsement of Italian senate. They could already vote for the lower house of Italy's parliament.

The voting will start at 7 am Italian time and polls will close at 11 pm.

Italians will elect 200 senators and 400 deputies in the chamber.

The latest polls show that a right-wing coalition is likely to lead the country. Far-right Brothers of Italy (FdI) led by Giorgia Meloni could win the race by garnering most of the votes. The polls also show the center-left Democratic Party (PD) led by Enrico Letta ranks second, followed by the far-right Lega Party led by Matteo Salvini.

If elected, Meloni will be Italy's first female prime minister.