Far-right leader on track to make history in the Italian elections
In a landmark shift for Italy, far-right leader Giorgia Meloni is poised to become the nation’s first-ever female prime minister, based on preliminary election results. According to the BBC, Meloni’s party, Brothers of Italy, has gained significant support, securing 26% of the vote — the highest of any individual party.
The party is part of a right-wing coalition that has achieved a dominant 43% of the vote, ensuring a strong parliamentary majority, as reported by the Financial Times. This marks a striking surge for the Brothers of Italy, which only garnered around 4% of the vote four years ago.
Meloni’s political origins trace back to a movement formed by followers of the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, although she has attempted to distance herself from its more extreme associations. As the election approached, she moderated her image by expressing support for Ukraine and reducing her Eurosceptic rhetoric.
However, a speech earlier this year reflected her core values: advocating for the traditional family, opposing the LGBT lobby, and rejecting gender ideology. She also criticised mass migration, Islamic extremism, and the influence of international finance, while supporting secure national borders.
The Democratic Party, alongside their Left-wing alliance, secured only 26% of the vote, falling short of forming a viable coalition with the populist Five Star Movement, despite shared policy interests. Meloni’s triumph in Italy, the third-largest economy in the EU, comes on the heels of similar right-wing gains in Sweden, where a coalition of right-wing parties narrowly defeated the incumbent left-wing government.
