Italy‘s far-right leader Giorgia Meloni declared victory in the general election, clearing her path to become the country’s first female prime minister while leading the most ring wing government since that of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
Ms Meloni, 45, vowed to unite the country in her victory speech during the early hours of Monday after projections based on votes counted from nearly two-thirds of polling stations showed her Brothers of Italy party well ahead of other contenders in the election for parliament.
“If we are called to govern this nation, we will do it for everyone, we will do it for all Italians and we will do it with the aim of uniting the people [of Italy]”, Ms Meloni said at her party’s Rome headquarters.
She added: “It is a victory I want to dedicate to everyone who is no longer with us and wanted this night.
“Italy chose us”, she said. “We will not betray [the country] as we never have.”
According to preliminary results, a far-right alliance led by Ms Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party was on the path to victory with over 44 per cent votes.
The party, which traces its origins from neo-fascist elements and those who are nostalgic for the Mussolini era, polled over 26 per cent votes, with alliance partners The League, led by Matteo Salvini, receiving nearly 9 per cent and Forza Italia led by Silvio Berlusconi scoring over 8 per cent of the votes.
The centre-left Democratic Party polled over 19 per cent of the votes to become the single largest opposition party.
While the formation of the coalition government is expected to take weeks, Ms Meloni is likely to lead the cabinet, becoming the first woman to hold Italy’s premiership.
Ms Meloni stepped into Italian politics in 2006 and co-founded the anti-immigrant Brothers of Italy in 2012. In the previous general election, her party polled just 4.5 per cent of the vote.
Her dramatic rise to power comes at a time when most of EU nations are struggling with soaring energy bills, a repercussion of the war in Ukraine and the west’s desire to preserve unity in confronting Russia.
Although she has vowed to continue Rome’s support for Kyiv, suspicions remain that pressure from Mr Salvini and Mr Berlusconi, who have both championed Russian president Vladimir Putin in the recent past, could see Italy’s support for Ukraine weaken.
Political veteran Mr Berlusconi on the eve of the election claimed the Russian president was “pushed” into invading Ukraine.
“History was written today”, Ms Meloni wrote on Facebook on Monday.
She added: “This victory is dedicated to all the militants, leaders, supporters and to every single person who – in recent years – has contributed to the realisation of our dream, offering heart and soul in a spontaneous and disinterested way.
“We will not betray your trust. We are ready to revive Italy.”
Hungary’s leader Viktor Orban was one of the first leaders to congratulate Ms Meloni on her victory.
He wrote: “In these difficult times, we need more than ever friends who share a common vision and approach to Europe’s challenges.”
