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image source, Archyde.com
Giorgia Meloni describes herself as the new prime minister of Italy.
The extreme right was leaning on Sunday night to win the elections in Italy for the first time since World War II, according to the first exit polls.
If it wins a majority in parliament as expected, the Brothers of Italy party would lead its leader, Giorgia Meloni, as prime minister, with what would become the first woman to rule the country.
According to Rai’s exit poll, Meloni is expected to win between 22% and 26% of the vote ahead of his closest rival, center-left Enrico Letta.
Other polls give his right-wing alliance a commanding lead, with 41-45% of the vote.
The centre-left party was far behind with a 25,5%-29,5%as he failed to form a viable challenge with other political groups after Italy’s national unity government collapsed in July.
Giuseppe Conte’s Five Star Movement was on its way to third place, according to the polls, but, despite having several center-left policies, failed to agree with Enrico Letta.
Turnout was a dramatically low 64.7%, according to the Italian Interior Ministry.
Voting levels were especially low in the southern regions, including Sicily.
This election marked a one-third reduction in the size of the two chambers, which seems to have benefited the winning parties, according to analysts.
complicated times
The final results of the elections will not be known until Monday and the decision on who becomes Italy’s next leader is up to the president, not Giorgia Meloni, and that will take time.
Once the results of the early elections are confirmed, President Sergio Mattarella will consult political leaders to determine who can lead a stable government.
Meloni, as the favourite, will argue that she should be the first choice.
Although he has worked hard to soften his image, emphasizing his support for Ukraine and watering down anti-European Union rhetoric, Meloni leads a party rooted in a post-war movement that grew out of Benito Mussolini’s fascists.
In fact, Meloni would become the first president of the Council of Ministers who has been a member of a post-fascist party.
Italy is one of the founding countries of the European Union and a member of NATO, and Meloni’s rhetoric critical of the group places her close to Hungary’s nationalist leader, Viktor Orban.
image source, Getty Images
The leader of the far-right nationalist Brothers of Italy party was leading the polls to become Italy’s next prime minister.
However, Professor Gianluca Passarrelli told the BBC that he thought she would avoid rocking the boat in Europe and instead focus on other policies.
“I think we will see more restrictions on civil rights and policies on LGBT and immigrants,” he said.
His allies, Matteo Salvini of the far-right League, and Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right Forza Italia have had close ties to Russia.
Salvini hopes to return to the Interior Ministry with the aim of stopping migrant boats crossing from Libya.
Reacting to the exit polls, Salvini said the right had a clear lead in both the House and Senate.
Until now and since the beginning of the First Republic, after World War II, governments have lasted an average of 401 days: one year, one month and six days, a record among Western countries.
In total, 31 Italian politicians have held the post of prime minister. In that same period, Germany has barely had ten chancellors and 24 governments.
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