Giorgia Meloni looks set to become Italy's first woman prime minister as near-final results indicate her party scored a sweeping win in Sunday's election.
What Happened: After leading a conservative alliance to victory in the country’s general election, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party is poised to become the most right-wing government since Benito Mussolini's fascist rule.
See Also: Putin's Nuclear Threat Could Be A Reality, Warns Ukraine's Zelenskyy: 'Don't Think He's Bluffing'
The provisional, near-final, results showed that Brothers of Italy led the polls with almost 26% of the votes, Reuters reported. That number is much higher than it was at the last general election in 2018, where the Brothers of Italy won just 4.3%.
"When this night is over, we must remember that we are not at the endpoint, we are at the starting point. It is from tomorrow that we must prove our worth," Meloni told the party's supporters early on Monday, according to the publication.
Being the head of the largest single party in Italy, Meloni will have the consent of the head of state to form a new government. However, as she gears up to hold Italy's top office, she faces daunting challenges, including surging energy prices and the Ukraine war.
In her victory speech, Meloni said, "This is a time for being responsible. If we are called on to govern this nation, we will do it for all the Italians, with the aim of uniting the people and focusing on what unites us rather than what divides us."
Meloni will replace Mario Draghi as the prime minister. Draghi was previously the head of the European Central Bank and pushed Italy to the center of European Union policy-making during his time in office.
Check out more of Benzinga's Europe and Asia coverage by following this link.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
