“Brothers of Italy” leader Giorgia Meloni has claimed victory in the general election that looks set to be Italy’s first female prime minister, leading the most far-right government since the fascist era of Benito Mussolini. .
Speaking to the press and supporters in the early hours of Monday morning (26), Meloni said it was “a night of pride for many and a night of redemption”.
“It’s a win I want to dedicate to everyone who is no longer with us and wanted tonight,” she said. “Starting tomorrow, we have to show our value. The Italians have chosen us and we are not going to betray them, as we never have,” she said.
Preliminary results put an alliance of far-right parties, led by Meloni’s ultraconservative Brothers of Italy party, on course to win at least 44% of the vote, according to the Italian Interior Ministry.
With 63% of the votes counted, the “Brothers of Italy” party won at least 26%, with the coalition partners of the “League”, led by Matteo Salvini, with around 9% and “Forza Italia”, by Silvio Berlusconi, with more than 8%.
The final results are expected later this Monday (26), but it is expected that it will take weeks for a new government to be formed.
Meloni entered the crowded Italian political scene in 2006 and co-founded the “Brothers of Italy” in 2012, a party whose agenda is rooted in Euroscepticism and anti-immigration policies.
In the last election, in 2018, the party won just 4.5% of the vote, but its popularity has soared in recent years, underscoring Italy’s long-standing rejection of dominant politics, seen more recently with the country’s support for anti-government parties. establishment, such as the “5 Star Movement” and Salvini’s “League”.
Celebrating early results Sunday night, Salvini said on Twitter: “Center-right clearly outnumbered in both House and Senate! It will be a long night, but now I want to say THANK YOU.”
Meloni differs from the leaders of the coalition partners on the Ukraine issue. While Berlusconi and Salvini said they would like to review sanctions against Russia because of their impact on the Italian economy, Meloni has been steadfast in his support for Ukraine’s defense.
A 45-year-old mother from Rome, Meloni is deeply conservative, openly anti-LGBT, and has threatened to put same-sex unions, which were legalized in Italy in 2016, under review.
She also called abortion a “tragedy”, raising fears about the future of women’s rights in the country.
“A sad afternoon”
Preliminary results showed that the centre-left coalition, led by the leftist “Democratic Party” and the centrist “+Europe” party, won around 22% of the vote, while former prime minister Giuseppe Conte’s attempt to revive the “Movement 5 Stars” appeared to have failed, with around 15%.
In a Facebook post, Conte vowed to lead an “uncompromising opposition”.
“We will be the outpost of the progressive agenda against inequalities, to protect families and companies in difficulty, to defend the rights and values of our Constitution.”
Debora Serracchiani of the Democratic Party also admitted defeat on Monday morning, calling the results a “sad night for the country”.
“Without a doubt, we cannot, in light of the data seen so far, not attribute the victory to the right dragged by Giorgia Meloni. It is a sad night for the country,” Serracchiani told reporters.
Sunday’s national election was sparked by infighting between parties that led to the collapse of Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government in July.
Voters went to the polls amid a series of new regulations, with voting hours also limited to one day instead of two.
Other changes included a younger voting age for the Senate and a reduction in the number of seats to elect – from 685 seats to 400 in the Senate and from 315 to 200 in the lower house of Parliament.
That parliament is scheduled to meet on October 13, when the head of state will convene party leaders to decide on the form of the new government.
The run-up to the election was dominated by controversial issues, including Italy’s cost-of-living crisis, a €209 billion package from the European Covid-19 recovery fund and the country’s support. to Ukraine.
The new prime minister – his sixth in just eight years – will be tasked with facing a range of challenges, with rising energy costs and economic uncertainty among the most pressing in the country.
And while Meloni is set to make history as Italy’s first prime minister, her politics don’t mean she’s necessarily interested in advancing women’s rights.
Emiliana De Blasio, advisor for diversity and inclusion at LUISS University in Rome, told CNN that Meloni “is not raising all the questions about women’s rights and empowerment in general.”
Sunday’s results come as other far-right parties in other European countries have marked recent gains, including the rise of Sweden’s anti-immigration party, the Sweden Democrats – a party with neo-Nazi roots – which are expected to play a major role in the new government. after winning the second-largest share of seats in a general election earlier this month.
And in France, while far-right ideologue Marine Le Pen lost the French presidential election to Emmanuel Macron in April, her participation in the popular vote has shifted France’s political center dramatically to the right.
In a post on social media on Monday, Meloni dedicated his projected victory to “all the militants, managers, supporters and all the people who – in these years – have contributed to the realization of our dream, offering their soul and heart spontaneously and selfless”.
She added: “We will not betray your trust. We are ready to lift Italy up.”
* CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite and Valentina DiDonato contributed to this report.
Source: CNN Brasil
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