MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. The Italian parliamentary elections showed that the voters need a new policy direction and face a similar situation when US citizens supported Donald Trump, Head of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house) International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev said.

"The outcome of Italy’s polls holds three key pieces of information, but none of them contain anything sensational. The first is that Italian voters made an articulate decision to change the authorities in their country. Consequently, the socialists’ years-long rule had ended up letting (the voters) down, and demand for a new policy course has emerged. Things like this happen," Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page.

According to Kosachev, this new political course is associated not only with the traditional right-wing rivals of the Socialists (Forze Italia and its allies) but also with the opponents of the establishment from the Five Star Movement.

"In certain ways, the situation is similar to the vote in the United States in favor of [Donald] Trump, who challenged the system in a similar way. And this is even more serious," the senator noted.

He also stressed that the elections in Italy verified the overall tendency of politics becoming more radicalized in EU countries. "And this is another headache for Brussels because now it will have to come to terms not only with "the newcomers" from Hungary and Poland, but also with the Italian giant. And this is a serious challenge," he said.

"No matter what the future coalition looks like, Italy will remain a good partner for our country [Russia] in Western Europe. I’m sure that we have been and will be united by common interests and mutual sympathies. So forward Italy," Kosachev stressed.

Preliminary voting outcome

The final results will be announced later on Monday, but by now it is clear that none of political forces will overcome the 40% election threshold required for gaining a majority in the parliament and forming the government.

According to the preliminary results, the center-right coalition made up of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, Lega (or League) led by Matteo Salvini and Fratelli d'Italia (or Brothers of Italy) headed by Georgia Meloni have garnered around 37% of the vote. That said the anti-establishment Five Star Movement is in second place with 32%, which is the best result for any party so far, outside the coalition.

The left-wing Democratic Party (20%), which has ruled the country for over the past five years, is heading towards a total fiasco. Along with the coalition parties, it may expect 25%.