The far-right League emerged as Italy's largest party in Sunday's European parliamentary election, overtaking its coalition partner, the 5-Star Movement, which lost a third of its voters in a year, exit polls said.
If confirmed, such a result could alter the balance of power within the bickering government, giving greater authority to League leader Matteo Salvini, who is pushing for severe tax cuts in possible defiance of EU budget rules.
Four exit polls predicted the League took anywhere between 26.0-31.0 percent of the EU vote, up from some 17 percent at the 2018 national election and 6.2 percent at the last EU ballot in 2014, boosted by its strong anti-immigrant message.
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