Meloni strengthens his influence in Italy and Europe through electoral triumph.
The Fratelli d'Italia swept the EU elections with even more success than they did in the September 2022 parliamentary elections, where they earned 26% of the votes. Previously, in the 2019 European elections, they could only attract 6% of the voters. Meloni had framed these elections as a vote on her leadership and encouraged her supporters to write "Giorgia" on their ballot.
In a brief speech around 2:00 AM, Meloni seemed "remarkably proud." She commented on the G7 summit happening in Italy that week, the losses of governing parties in Germany and France, and concluded by saying, "I am proud that this country represents itself at the G7 and in Europe with the strongest government."
Although Meloni mentioned it was a victory for the entire government, her junior partner, the right-wing Lega of Matteo Salvini, faltered. The Lega had 34% of the votes in the 2019 European elections, but since then, Salvini has been overshadowed by Meloni. On election day, the Lega only managed to capture 9.1% of the votes. It seemed to have also been surpassed by the also right-wing Forza Italia, founded by the late former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, which received 9.7% of the votes.
The left-leaning Democratic Party (PD) had a surprising victory, taking second place. The center-left party garnered over 25% and outperformed predictions. The left-populist Five Star Movement took third with just under 10% of the votes. The voter turnout was only 49.7%, a record low.
All eyes are on Meloni as she heads to Brussels to see how she'll act during the distribution of top positions after the election. She was heavily courted by the current conservative EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who's seeking re-election. The political scientist Lorenzo Castellani commented on X, "In a few hours, Giorgia Meloni could be the most powerful government leader in terms of political strength in the EU."
Meloni hopes to lead a right-wing victory across Europe. However, there are tensions between her and the leading French right-wing populist Marine Le Pen, whose party belongs to a different EU parliament group. The Fratelli d'Italia is part of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), home to several right-nationalist governments, while Le Pen's party, the National Rally, belongs to the second right-wing faction, Identity and Democracy (ID).
