The post-fascist formation obtained between 22% and 26% of the votes, well above its far-right allies in Matteo Salvini's League (8,5-12,5%) and Força Italia (6-8%). , by conservative Silvio Berlusconi.
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For the first time since 1945, a party that has its origins in the neo-fascist tradition will govern Italy, thanks to the fact that it presented itself as a right-wing coalition that would obtain in total between 36,5% and 46,5% of the votes. “We have a clear advantage, both in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate”, celebrated Salvini on Twitter.
The Democratic Party (PD), the main left-wing formation, was unable to mobilize the electorate to stop the advance of the extreme right, and had to settle for a figure that fluctuates between 17% and 21%. The anti-system 5 Star Movement (M5E) obtained between 13,5% and 17,5% of the votes, below the historic score of more than 30% achieved in 2018, but above what opinion polls indicated.
“According to exit polls, this is a historic result. The right-wing coalition would obtain the highest percentage of votes recorded by right-wing parties in Western Europe since 1945”, reacted the Italian think tank Cise.
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What explains the victory of the far right?
Giorgia Meloni's dizzying rise is largely due to the fact that she was the only one who opposed the government of economist Mario Draghi for 18 months, which helped her capture the discontent of Italians in the face of inflation, war and restrictions during the pandemic.
Founded at the end of 2012 with former Berlusconi supporters and figures from the neo-fascist right, the formation surpassed Enrico Letta's Democratic Party (PD), which only agreed to an alliance with a small sector of the environmentalist left.
The post-fascist leader, 45, an admirer of Benito Mussolini in her youth and known for her direct and effective language since her years as a student leader in Rome, could also become the first woman to reach the head of government in Italy.
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What does it mean to be a fascist? (BBC Brazil)
Together with her allies, she promete tax cuts and the blockade of immigrants crossing the Mediterranean, in addition to an ambitious family policy to increase the birth rate in one of the countries with the most elderly people in the world.
The victory of an anti-European and nationalist leader raises many questions on the continent and changes the face of Italy, as it would call into question its position on the European Union, as Giorgia defends the review of its treaties and even its replacement by a “confederation of sovereign states.” “Everyone in Europe is worried about Giorgia Meloni in government. The party is over, Italy will start defending its own interests,” she warned.
The representative of post-fascism, who is not afraid to defend a pure and hard right, identifies with the motto “God, country and family” and promefight against gay pressure groups and “gender theories”.
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“Giorgia Meloni showed the way to a proud, free Europe of sovereign nations, capable of cooperating for the security and prosperity of all”, Spaniard Santiago Abascal, from the ultra-conservative Vox, reacted on Twitter.
"Friends"
The winner of the elections becomes a key figure for a radical right-wing axis in Europe, which passes through Sweden, Poland and Hungary. “We need friends more than ever who share a common vision and approach to Europe,” reacted a spokesperson for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The government that emerges from the elections will take office at the end of October and will face a path full of obstacles and without much room for maneuver. It will have to manage the crisis caused by galloping inflation, while Italy is already collapsing under a debt that represents 150% of GDP, the highest in the euro zone, behind Greece.
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(with AFP)
