Italy's anti-immigrant League hails unprecedented results in elections

MILAN - Italy's rightwing, anti-immigrant League party, on Monday hailed an unprecedented result scored in general elections held on Sunday.

With few thousands votes yet to count, partial results showed the League won at least 17.7 percent, according to data from the Interior Ministry.

It's a significant change compared with the just a bit over 4 percent the party achieved in the previous election in 2013.

Its major partner in the center-right coalition, Forza Italia (FI) party, was in the second place with some 14 percent. "Today a good path begins," League's leader Matteo Salvini told a press conference in Milan.

"I am sure our party will do a good job in parliament, because most of our newly-elected lawmakers are local officials from the local administration, as such they are experienced people," Salvini added.

The vote to renew the Italian parliament in Sunday proved one of the most divisive and uncertain elections in years for the country.

With votes counted in over 58,000 polling stations out of total 62,000 at midday, official data showed the center-right coalition altogether reached 36-37 percent of the vote. The anti-establishment Five Star Movement followed with some 32 percent.

In the third place was a center-left coalition led by Democratic Party, which ruled the cabinets in the last legislature, with some 23 percent.

None of the three major contenders has gathered enough votes to win the absolute majority of seats in parliament necessary to govern alone.

The leader of the League, which had run the campaign with a strong anti-immigration and Eurosceptic platform, said Italians sent a clear signal on Sunday. "It is the Italians who decide for Italy, not Paris, not Berlin or Brussels, and not the spread (the financial markets)," Salvini told reporters.

He confirmed the League's political path would remain within the center-right, dismissing any chance of a possible alliance with populist M5S to form a government.

"The League has won within the center-right, and it will now lead the center-right," Salvini stressed.

He added the party would work in order to try to form a government "with those forces that agree on the center-right's program."

After definitive results were announced, political negotiations will be needed in order to see if a majority in both lower house and senate can be formed. The process, brokered by Italian president Sergio Mattarella, might take weeks.