Italy’s Far-Right Wins Parliamentary Elections As Predicted

The populist Brothers of Italy party, led by George Meloni, is winning more than 25% of the popular vote, official figures show.

With overwhelming support among the centre-right coalition, Meloni became the prime contender for the premiership. In her victory speech, she vowed that her government would “unite all Italians”:

If we are called to rule this nation, we will do it for all Italians. We will do this in order to bring people together, to strengthen what binds them, not what separates them.

With regard to coalitions: the far-right, along with Matteo Salvini’s “League” and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forward Italia, are gaining more than 44%, the center-left – about 26.5%. The best result among them was demonstrated by the Democratic Party led by Enrico Letta, which was supported by 19% of the voters, and it ranks second after the Brothers of Italy. 15% for Giuseppe Conte’s next 5 Star Movement.

The Democrats admitted their defeat and intend to become the main opposition force in the new parliament. Deborah Serraciani, vice chairman of the Democratic Party, said:

We are the second political force in the country, and therefore we believe that we must create a strong opposition, also because we have a great responsibility – before Europe, before the country, which is waiting for the most difficult trials.

The turnout in these elections showed the lowest level ever – about 64%, which is 10% less than in 2018.

Giorgi Meloni’s position towards the European Union echoes the chosen policy of Hungary and Poland, which were among the first to congratulate the leader of the Brothers of Italy. According to Meloni, the voices of the Italians made it very clear that the next government of the country will be led by the Brothers of Italy. She noted: “We will not betray the country,” and added that she wants to regain the trust of the Italians. She recalled the history of her party and how she managed to get such a big support in a very short time. As Meloni noted, her like-minded people never stopped believing in themselves.

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