The right went into the election as the clear favourites. Her victory will send Italy a sharp shift to the right – with uncertain consequences for Europe.
According to forecasts, an alliance around the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party has won the election in Italy. The alliance, which also includes the right-wing populist Lega and the conservative Forza Italia, is likely to get more than half of the seats in parliament, as broadcasters Rai and SkyTG24 reported on Sunday evening based on post-election polls. As leader of the strongest party, Giorgia Meloni could lead the future government as Italy’s first female prime minister.
More than 50 million Italians were called to vote on Sunday. The turnout was historically low. Parties and candidates were elected for both chambers of parliament, i.e. the House of Representatives and the smaller Senate. An official result was not expected until Monday.
The right-wing bloc had already entered the election as the clear favorite and, according to forecasts, received 41 to 45 percent of the votes. Due to a special feature of Italian electoral law, this should still be enough for a majority of mandates.
The left and center parties did not take a united front against the right in the election campaign. According to the forecasts, the electoral alliance of the Social Democrats with left-wing parties and the Greens came to 25.5 to 29.5 percent. The Five Star Movement landed between 13.5 and 17.5 percent of the vote. The Central Alliance lagged behind at 6.5 to 8.5 percent.
The Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) were the only significant opposition to the multi-party government led by the internationally highly respected Prime Minister Mario Draghi. In the last parliamentary election in 2018, they got just over 4 percent. The party represents nationalist, EU-critical and sometimes racist positions. In the logo, the Fratelli d’Italia, founded in 2012, have a flame reminiscent of the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and which is a symbol of the right. In Europe, many had looked with concern at a possible victory for the right.
There have been three governments in Italy since the general elections in March 2018. According to plan, a new parliament should not be elected until the beginning of 2023. Former ECB chief Draghi was appointed to head the government in early 2021. The Five Star Movement voted no confidence in Draghi on a proposed law in July, after which he resigned. However, Draghi will remain in office until a new government is sworn in – which can take several weeks.
