Giorgia Meloni eyes power as far-right triumphs in Italy elections
- Right-wing alliance led by nationalist Brothers of Italy won the election in Italy
- Giorgia Meloni is expected to become the country’s first woman prime minister
Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni said on Monday she was ready to govern for “all Italians” after her Eurosceptic populists swept to victory in general elections, putting her on course to guide Italy’s most right-wing government since World War II.
According to projections around one in four voters in Sunday’s election backed Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, which has neo-fascist roots.
But the party leads a coalition set to win a majority in parliament.
Her success represents a seismic change in Italy, a founding member of the European Union and the euro zone’s third largest economy – and for the EU, just weeks after the far-right outperformed in elections in Sweden.
Meloni, who campaigned on a motto of “God, country and family”, is expected to become Italy’s first woman prime minister, although the process of forming a new government could take weeks.
At a time of soaring inflation, a looming energy crisis and the war in Ukraine, the 45-year-old sought to reassure those worried about her lack of experience and radical past.
