A coalition led by Giorgia Meloni’s arch-conservative Brothers of Italy has won a decisive victory in Italy’s snap election, putting it in position to form the country’s first government led by the far-right since the second world war.
Claiming victory, Meloni, who is poised to become Italy’s first female prime minister since Italian unification in 1861, struck a sober tone, acknowledging the serious challenges ahead.
“We haven’t arrived — this is a starting point,” she told supporters at a hotel in Rome. “From tomorrow, we have to demonstrate what we are worth. It’s time for responsibility — we won’t betray Italy . . . We will govern this nation on behalf of everyone.”