The far-right party of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni won the country’s European elections, making her one of the few leaders of the bloc who comes out stronger after the elections.
“Thank you. Brothers of Italy confirms its place as the first Italian party, surpassing the result of the last elections,” congratulated X Meloni on the network, at the head of the country since October 2022.
Brothers from Italy leads the results with 28.8% of the votesaccording to almost definitive results from the Ministry of the Interior, above 26% in the last national elections.
“Meloni strongest in Europe,” headlined the Roman newspaper Il Messaggero on Monday. “Victory of Meloni and Le Pen”stated La Stampa.
In a brief public intervention, the prime minister said she was “proud of the result of the Brothers of Italy” and “proud that this country is presenting itself to the G7 and in Europe.” with the strongest government of all“.
Other rulers of great European nations, such as the French Emmanuel Macron and the German Olaf Scholz, or the Spanish Pedro Sánchez They have come out of these elections very weakened.
The leaders of the G7 of the main Western powers, chaired this year by Italy, will meet this week in Pullas, in the south of the peninsula.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of the Interior, the Democratic Party (PD, center-left), the main opposition party, comes in second position with 24% of the votesfollowed by the 5 Star Movement (populist) led by former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte with more than 9.9%.
“Play with the greats”
Meloni’s two coalition partners, Forza Italia, the conservative party founded by Silvio Berlusconi and a member of the European People’s Party (EPP), and Matteo Salvini’s far-right League they obtain 9.7% and 9.1% respectively.
It is a failure for the League, an ally of the French National Rally in the European Parliament, which obtained 34.26% of the votes in 2019.
Meloni, who came to power in October 2022 boosted with nearly 200 billion euros of European aid and loans from the post-pandemic relaunch plan, managed to create consensus around her person above all. thanks to the divisions of the opposition and for avoiding attacking fundamental rights such as abortion.
Their progression, compared to the Europeans of 2019, is more than noticeable: Brothers of Italy He then obtained only 6.44% of the votes.
This spectacular advance will allow Meloni to reinforce his weight in Brussels, where he has already managed to impose some of his favorite issues, such as the fight against the arrival of migrants to Europe.
The Italian leader, unlike his ally Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbanhas established herself as the interlocutor of the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, especially due to her pro-Ukrainian position.
In the European Parliament, Brothers of Italy is part of the group of Conservatives and Reformists, together with the Spanish far-right party Vox and the small French party Reconquista.
The other far-right group, Identity and Democracy, includes the League and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, which recorded a historic victory in France.
The rapprochement of these two groups remains a mystery due to its divergences, especially about Russia.
“I don’t think Meloni wants to work with people like Le Pen again,” analyzes Daniele Albertazzi, from the think tank “Centre for Britain and Europe.”
“I think he will try to play with the big players and concentrate on the PPE”adds the expert for whom Meloni wants to participate in the negotiations on the next president of the Commission.
