Voting events - The Meloni party claims victory in Italy's European elections.
The right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) have emerged as clear winners in the European elections, garnering 28.9% of the votes. This marks a staggering increase of over 20 points compared to the 2019 European elections. The second-place finisher is a left-wing alliance consisting of the Social Democratic Party PD, which received 24.5% of the votes.
Meloni, who was also the lead candidate for Fratelli d'Italia, drew cheers from supporters in Rome as they chanted "Giorgia" upon hearing the results. Proud of their achievement, Meloni declared, "I am proud of this result." When considering the lackluster performance of government parties in other European countries like Germany and France, she added, "Italy now boasts the strongest government in the EU and among the seven major industrialized countries (G7)." This assertion is certainly justified, as the G7 heads of state and government will convene later this week in Italy for their annual summit.
As the lead candidate for Fratelli d'Italia, a party with roots in the post-fascist movement, Meloni has chosen to remain in Rome rather than take a position in the European Parliament. Meloni, who is only 47 years old, has led a coalition of three right-wing parties since last October. Should her party perform as strongly on the European level as it does domestically, her influence on the regional stage could skyrocket. This may even include a potential challenge to the incumbent Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU).
The Fratelli d'Italia's improved result from the previous European election is particularly noticeable, as their share of the vote jumped from a paltry 6.4% in 2019. This development bolsters their standing as the dominant force within the right-wing coalition, with smaller partners Forza Italia (founded by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi) and Lega (led by Vice-Prime Minister Matteo Salvini) securing 9.2% and 8.5% of the votes, respectively.
Fratelli d'Italia's improved performance is evident in their showing in the latest national elections, where they secured 26% of the votes. Meloni believes these results attest to the success of her government, saying, "The voters have affirmed their trust in us." The left-populist Cinque Stelle movement under former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte earned 10.5% of the votes, while the left-green alliance Alleanza Verdi Sinistra garnered 6.8%. The official results are expected to be finalized sometime tomorrow.
In a first for Italian national elections, voter turnout fell below the 50% threshold, landing at approximately 49.7%. With 47 million eligible voters, Italy's 76 MPs in the European Parliament set a new low for voter participation. Incidentally, Italy is one of the founding members of the EU.
