Europe’s extreme right applauds Giorgia Meloni’s upcoming victory and prepares for an Italy that, from a political standpoint, risks becoming the polar opposite of Mario Draghi’s.
According to first exit poll figures given by Italian network Rai, the alliance of centre-right forces might win up to 65 per cent of seats in both chambers of Italy’s parliament.
As per the poll results, the centre-right bloc, which consists of the Brothers of Italy party, the League party, the Forza Italia party, and the Moderate Party, can win between 227 and 257 of the 400 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Italian parliament, and between 111 and 131 of the 200 seats in the Senate, the upper house of the Italian parliament.
Consorzio Opinio Italia predicts that the centre-right alliance will get 41 to 45 per cent of the vote in the next elections.
The participation rate in Italy’s sudden parliamentary elections was 63.8%, nearly 9% less than in March 2018, according to Italian Interior Minister Luciano Lamorgese.
First estimates, based on the results of tallying the first votes, affirm the centre-right coalition’s election victory. According to a study by the research organisation Consorzio Opinio Italia for the Italian television network Rai, the Brothers of Italy party receives 24.7% of the vote in the Senate elections. Its partners, the League and Forza Italia get 8.7% and 8% of the vote, respectively.
“This is the time of responsibility, the time when if you want to be part of history, you have to understand what responsibility we have towards tens of millions of people because Italy has chosen us, and we will not betray it as we have never betrayed it,” said Giorgia Meloni.
“We are once again proud to be Italian,” said Meloni thanking her allies, from Matteo Salvini to Silvio Berlusconi and Maurizio Lupi, and all the Italians who did not believe in the mystifications. “I want to thank Fdi and all the staff; we didn’t give up, we didn’t get down, we understood, like the Italians, that shortcuts are an illusion,” she said. Meloni closed by quoting San Francesco: he begins to do everything possible only to discover that he has achieved the impossible.
Pan European reaction
Rightists from Hungary, Poland, Sweden and French Marine Le Pen’s France have rejoiced at the prospect of a victory for Italian centre-right candidates. MEP and “major” of Marine Le Pen’s party, Jordan Bardella, was among the first to rejoice. “The Italians have taught the European Union, which via the voice of Mrs. Von Der Leyen sought to force a vote on them, a lesson in humility. No danger can halt democracy: the European peoples lift their heads and take control of their destiny! “he remarked on Twitter. The allusion is to the remarks made by the head of the Commission from New York on Thursday when she said that the EU had the means to respond should the situation in Italy deteriorate. These tools were already used in Poland and Hungary.
Behind the veil of quiet with which pro-European parties and EU institutions are observing the victory of the centre-right, there is, in reality, an underlying fear that Italy will join forces with Hungary and Poland on several crucial issues, beginning with the Rule of law.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki couldn’t contain his excitement, “Congratulations, Giorgia Meloni!” he tweeted. Balazs Orban, the political advisor to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, did the same: “Congratulations on today’s elections, Giorgia Meloni, Matteo Salvini, and Silvio Berlusconi! He wrote that we need allies with a shared vision and approach to Europe’s difficulties in these challenging times more than ever. The Spanish ultra-right wing of Vox also applauded: “Millions of Europeans are pinning their hopes on Italy tonight. Giorgia Meloni paved the road for a strong, free, and independent Europe,” leader Santiago Abascal chirped.
Support for Ukraine
However, there is a second red line that Brussels will not cross: support for Ukraine. Meloni has already offered sufficient assurances in this regard. In July, the leader of FdI emphasized her total agreement with Western viewpoints. In addition, Roberta Metsola, who has been serving as President of the European Parliament since January 2022, is supported by a majority of European Conservatives and Reformists (Ecr) members in Strasbourg (France), but the majority of European Parliament members have for some time created a form of “sanitary cordon” around the Identity and Democracy (ID), where the League sits.
However, the outcome of the Italian election might shift the balance of power in Strasbourg. For example, the EPP has made no comments. Its support for Forza Italia has been unwavering and persistent for years, with a special focus on the pro-European and Atlanticist promises provided by the party led by Antonio Tajani in the EU. But, the EPP has been increasingly worried about FI’s dominance inside the coalition in recent days. Silvio Berlusconi, FI’s leader, has been particularly critical of the Italian handling of relations with Russia.
In the past, the League, Forza Italia, and 5-Star denied that Ukraine influenced their decision to withdraw support for Draghi.
Mario Draghi, the outgoing prime minister, told the Italian parliament that some of his partners had attempted to soften the Italian government’s resistance to President Putin’s proposal, but he did not identify them.