Survey: 52 per cent of Italians do not like new coalition government

Italy's new coalition government, which has pushed outof power far-right leader Matteo Salvini, is not popular amongvoters, according to a survey published Saturday.The new executive, backed by the anti-establishment Five StarMovement (M5S) and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), is expectedto be softer on migration and be less confrontational towards the EU.But 52 per cent of Italians have a negative opinion of it, against 36per cent with a positive one, an Ipsos poll published by the Corrieredella Sera newspaper said.If people with no opinion are excluded, the government's approvalrating is 41 per cent, one of the lowest for a new administration,Ipsos found.The government was formed after Salvini's League party pulled out ofa previous government with the M5S. Salvini hoped to trigger snapelections and capitalize on favourable opinion polls.Instead, the M5S and PD, two former sworn enemies, unexpectedlyjoined forces to shut Salvini out and avoid elections in which theystood to fare badly.Saturday's poll showed that 45 per cent of Italians expect thegovernment to last not more than a year, and 71 per cent think itshould focus on tax cuts and welfare reforms.On the other hand, only 11 per cent of those polled consider it apriority to reverse hardline migration policies championed bySalvini.The government is due to face confidence votes in the lower and upperhouses of parliament on Monday and Tuesday. It is expected to winthem, but probably with a slim margin in the Senate.