ROME — Italy is on course to elect its most right-wing government since World War II, after projections suggested a coalition led by Giorgia Meloni is set to take power.
Italians voted on Sunday in an election that analysts predicted would usher in the far-right firebrand Meloni — leader of the Brothers of Italy party — as the country’s first female prime minister.
If the projections and exit polls are confirmed, the right will take control at a critical time for the European Union’s third-biggest economy, with Russia’s war in Ukraine driving inflation and testing the limits of Western unity against Moscow.
Such a result would raise major questions about Italy’s future direction at home and internationally. Divisive identity politics will suddenly be in the mainstream of national debate, while Meloni brings a potentially disruptive voice to the top table of EU decision-making. Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister of Poland, which fell out with Brussels in a rule of law dispute, tweeted his “congratulations” to Meloni before she had even declared victory.
Projections based on a partial count of senate votes from pollster Consorzio Opinio, for broadcaster Rai, put Meloni’s Brothers of Italy on 24.6 percent, the anti-immigration League party on 8.5 percent and former PM Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right Forza Italia on 8 percent.
Overall, the results would give the right-wing coalition a total of 42.2 percent of the vote in the senate, if accurate. An earlier exit poll by the SWG polling agency put the right-wing coalition on course for 43-47 percent of the vote.
Meloni’s main left-wing rivals conceded defeat. Debora Serracchiani leader of the Democratic Party group in the lower house told a press conference: “Undoubtedly we cannot, given the data we have, not attribute victory to the right, led by Giorgia Meloni.” She said the Democrats on the left would be a responsible opposition and said the responsibility was even more important given the majority of the right in parliament did not represent the majority of the country.
There was no immediate comment from Meloni herself, but MP Guido Crosetto, one of the founders of Brothers of Italy, told POLITICO that his colleagues were “very satisfied” with the projections.
“The results seem to indicate the center-right will have enough seats to govern,” he said.
The priority is “to address the cost of energy and inflation, which are destroying the social and economic fabric of Europe; there is the budget to approve in a short time, so it’s a very difficult moment, but we are leadership that is up to it.” The strong result for Brothers of Italy compared to the other two parties in the right-wing bloc means that “the prime minister will be Giorgia Meloni,” Crosetto said. “She will be an excellent prime minister.”
The League’s Matteo Salvini tweeted: “Center-right in a clear lead in both the Chamber and the Senate! It will be a long night, but I already want to say THANK YOU.”
Will it last?
Lorenzo Castellani, from the political science department at Luiss University in Rome said the detail of the final result will be crucial for Meloni’s chances of forming a long-lasting administration. If the projection is accurate and the right end up with only about 42 percent, Meloni and her allies will “have enough seats to form a government but their majority will be very restricted, particularly in the Senate, in which case it may not last long,” he said.
If the exit poll is right, winning 43-47 percent of the vote would mean a majority of at least 15-20 senators, “which means you can govern in a much more stable way, without problems,” he said. With 46-47 percent, “they should have won 90 percent of the first past the post seats and may have the two thirds supermajority needed to change the constitution without a referendum.”
Turnout was just 64 percent, down from 73 percent at the previous election in 2018, after heavy rain in many parts of the country.
The result appears to confirm an astonishing surge for Meloni, whose party took just 4 per cent at the latest election in 2018.
Meloni’s success is partly down to not being tarnished by association with previous governments, as she has remained in opposition since founding her party 10 years ago.
But her rise has led to soul-searching among some on the left in Italy who see Meloni’s political tribe as the descendants of Mussolini’s fascists.
Over the past year, she has sought to recast the Brothers of Italy as a mainstream conservative group, to appeal to more sophisticated voters, aligning herself completely with NATO and the U.S. on Ukraine. She has refused to endorse her allies’ unrealistic promises on pensions and tax.
“Meloni has managed to remove voters from her allies because she is seen as the leader of the moment, most coherent and did not make compromises in coalition government,” said Castellani.
Over the past two weeks her gains are likely down to the bandwagon effect, where voters decide to get on board with the winner.
The right-wing alliance had been ahead in the polls since Mario Draghi’s government collapsed in July, but a blackout on voting intention surveys for the final two weeks of the campaign created uncertainty over the size of their lead.
After the results are officially confirmed, Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella will open consultations with the parties, to confirm whether the right’s candidate can command a majority in parliament.
Under an agreement of the right-wing coalition, the party with the most votes nominates the candidate for prime minister. Given the necessary horse-trading over Cabinet positions, the next government may not take office for several weeks.
