Italian parties tainted by scandals ahead of general election

ROME, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Two leading Italian parties were tainted by scandals Friday as the electoral campaign heated up ahead of the March 4 national election.

The populist Five Star Movement grappled with allegations that at least 14 of its candidates lied about reimbursing their stipends, local media reported.

Under Five Star internal regulations, members who are elected to public office must pay half of their monthly salaries into a fund for small and medium businesses run by the industry ministry.

Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio has so far admitted that eight members lied about their reimbursements. The eurosceptic Movement prides itself on its honesty and claims Italy's traditional parties are all corrupt.

It calls for major cuts in the salaries and privileges of elected officials, wants to introduce universal income, and says it might call a referendum on remaining in the eurozone.

The ruling center-left Democratic Party also came under fire on Friday over allegations that one of its locally elected officials is involved in illegal waste trafficking.

Roberto De Luca, a city councillor in the southern city of Salerno, is suspected of corruption in a wide-ranging probe into trafficking and bid-tampering at the regional waste company, ANSA news agency reported. His father is Vincenzo De Luca, the Democratic Party governor of the Campania region, whose capital is Naples.

The coalition led by Berlusconi includes two rightwing, eurosceptic and anti-immigrant parties.

Berlusconi himself is pro-EU, and is proposing a flat tax at 23 percent.

The Democratic Party is pro-EU, has a soft stance on immigration, and opposes a flat tax rate because it would benefit the rich and disadvantage the poor.

Most polls show Berlusconi's coalition in the lead, followed by the Five Star Movement, with the Democratic Party in third place. However large percentages of respondents also say they are undecided. Enditem