Kylie W
Today, Italy became the first major nation to cast votes for the European Union’s next parliament, marking a significant test of far-right leader Giorgia Meloni’s domestic strength and potential future influence within the EU.
The majority of the EU’s 27 member states, including influential countries like France and Germany, are scheduled to vote on Sunday, with overall results expected to be announced late that evening.
Italy, the EU’s third-largest economy, holds 76 of the 720 seats in the new parliament, making its vote particularly consequential. Meloni was anticipated to cast her ballot in her Rome constituency, where temperatures were forecasted to soar to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
Surveys suggest that Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party could secure 27 percent of the vote, a substantial increase from its 2019 performance, reflecting a broader rise of far-right groups across Europe.
This strong showing would position Meloni as a significant player in influencing whether EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen receives the necessary support from both member states and the parliament for a second term.
During the election campaign, Meloni has been courted by both the center-right von der Leyen and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who aims to form a right-wing supergroup within the parliament. Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party is also leading in the polls for the EU election.
About: Giorgia Meloni (born January 15, 1977, Rome, Italy) is a populist Italian politician who cofounded (2012) and leads (2014– ) the Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia), a party with neofascist roots. She is the first woman to serve as prime minister of Italy (2022– ). (Britannica Inputs)
