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- The right-wing bloc proposes a clear majority in both chambers
- Meloni would be the country’s first female prime minister
- The League leader says the government will be stable
- The government is not expected to be sworn in again for several weeks
- The low participation record casts a shadow over the result
ROME, Sept 26 (Reuters) – The right-wing alliance that won Italy’s national election will usher in a rare era of political stability to address a range of problems besetting the region’s third-largest economy euro, one of its main figures said on Monday.
Giorgia Meloni looks set to become Italy’s first female prime minister at the helm of its most right-wing government since World War Two after the conservative alliance won Sunday’s election.
“I hope that for at least five years we will go ahead without any change, without any twist, prioritizing the things we have to do,” said Matteo Salvini, leader of the League party who is one of the main allies of the Meloni brothers. Italy
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Near-final results showed the right-wing bloc, which also includes Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, should have a solid majority in both houses of Parliament, potentially ending years of upheaval and fragile coalitions.
The result is the latest success for the right in Europe after a breakthrough for the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats in an election this month and advances made by the National Rally in France in June.
Meloni downplays his party’s post-fascist roots and portrays it as a mainstream group like the British Conservatives. He has pledged to support Western policy on Ukraine and not to take risks with Italy’s fragile finances.
Meloni, who has spoken out against what he calls the “LGBT lobby” and mass immigration, struck a conciliatory tone in his victory speech early Monday.
“If we are called to govern this nation we will do so for all Italians, with the aim of uniting the people and focusing on what unites us rather than what divides us,” he told his supporters. “This is a time to be responsible.”
HARD INHERITANCE
Meloni and his allies face a huge list of challenges, including rising energy prices, the war in Ukraine and a further slowdown in the eurozone’s third-largest economy.
Brothers of Italy leader Giorgia Meloni speaks at the party’s election night headquarters in Rome, Italy September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
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His coalition government, Italy’s 68th since 1946, is unlikely to be installed before the end of October and Prime Minister Mario Draghi remains in charge of a caretaker administration for now.
Although there is talk of stability, Meloni’s alliance is divided on some very sensitive issues that could be difficult to reconcile once in government.
Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank, pushed Rome to the center of EU policy-making during his 18 months in office, establishing close ties with Paris and Berlin.
In Europe, the first to applaud Meloni’s victory were hard-right opposition parties in Spain and France, and the conservative national governments of Poland and Hungary, which have strained relations with Brussels.
Salvini questions Western sanctions against Russia and both he and Berlusconi have often expressed admiration for their leader, Vladimir Putin.
The allies also have different views on how to deal with rising energy bills and have put forward a series of promises, including tax cuts and pension reform, that Italy will struggle to pay.
With results counted in more than 97% of polling stations, Italy’s Brothers led with more than 26% of the vote, up from just 4% in the last national election in 2018, supplanting the League as right engine
The League only took about 9%, down from more than 17% four years ago, but despite the relatively low score, Salvini said he would continue as party leader. Berlusconi’s Forza Italia scored around 8%.
Center-left and centrist parties won more votes than the right, but were penalized by an electoral law that rewards broad alliances. Enrico Letta, the head of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party, announced that he would step down as leader.
Despite its clear result, the vote was not an endorsement for the right-wing bloc. Turnout was just 64% compared to 73% four years ago, an all-time low in a country that has historically had strong electoral participation.
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Elisa Anzolin reported this story from Milan. Additional reporting by Crispian Balmer, Angelo Amante, Gavin Jones and Alvise Armellini in Rome Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Nick Macfie
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