The first exit polls give Giorgia Meloni’s post-fascist party the lead in Italy’s legislative elections. The estimates will be completed overnight, and the final results will be released Monday morning.
Early exit polls give Giorgia Meloni’s post-fascist party, Fratelli D’Italia, the lead in Italy’s legislative elections on Sunday night.
Fratelli d’Italia won between 22 and 26% of the vote, while its coalition partners, the far-right League of Matteo Salvini and the conservative Forza Italia party of Silvio Berlusconi, collected between 8.5 and 12 respectively, 5% and between 6 and 8% of the votes, according to the poll by the Opinio institute for Rai.
For the first time since 1945, a post-fascist party could govern Italy, the coalition between FDI, FI and the League being assured, according to the projections in seats, of having the majority both in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate.
The coalition has a “clear advantage both in the House and in the Senate”, rejoiced on Twitter Matteo Salvini. “The night will be long, but I want to thank you already”.
No useful vote against the far right
The Democratic Party (PD), the main left-wing party, did not succeed in getting the useful vote to play against the far right and had to settle for a score fluctuating between 17 and 21%.
The 5 Star Movement (M5S, ex-antisystem) obtained between 13.5 and 17.5% of the vote, down from its historic score of more than 30% in 2018.
In pole position to become the first female head of government, Giorgia Meloni, a 45-year-old Roman, who a young activist said she admired Mussolini, managed to de-demonize his image and unite in his name the fears and anger of millions of Italians in the face of to soaring prices, unemployment, the threat of recession or the neglect of public services.
With her two allies Matteo Salvini and Silvio Berlusconi, she promises tax cuts, the blocking of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, as well as an ambitious family policy to boost the birth rate in an aging country.