Saturday 24 September 2022 06:44 PM Italy braces for political earthquake as most right-wing government since WWII ... trends now
Italy is bracing for a political earthquake as the most right-wing Government seen since World War Two is expected to be handed power following tomorrow’s election.
The potential emergence of a far-right government in Italy has put the European Union on alert for disruptions - with fears that the unity of the war in Ukraine could be jeopardised.
The leader of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy Party, Giorgia Meloni, is a slated to be a big winner in Sunday’s election, becoming Italy’s first female Prime Minister.
If she wins, the other two parties expected to form a government with her include Matteo Salvini’s far-right League and Silvio Berlusconi of the centre-right, who has attracted younger voters over TikTok.
The leader of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy Party, Giorgia Meloni (pictured), is a slated to be a big winner in Sunday’s election, becoming Italy’s first female Prime Minister.
The election comes as the country is facing a number of ongoing crises, ranging from massive debt, rising inflation and an energy crisis, linked to the war in Ukraine.
The party, which has gained popularity with its ‘Italians First’ agenda, has sparked concerns in Brussels.
The campaign, sparked by outgoing prime minister Mario Draghi's downfall in July, wrapped up on Friday, giving Italians a day of reprieve as electioneering is banned until the vote.
Draghi was respected on the international stage and a darling of the EU establishment.
A victory by Meloni and Salvini would follow fast on an election in Sweden where the virulently anti-migration and Eurosceptic Sweden Democrats entered a ruling coalition, just months before the Scandinavian country is due to take over the EU's rotating presidency.
Wolfango Piccoli of the London-based political risk consultancy Teneo told AFP: ‘The country is eager for a change, a new face.’
But officials in Brussels said they would not jump to conclusions about Italy, cautiously hanging on to reassurances made by key right-wing players ahead of the vote.
‘This is not the first time that we risk confronting governments formed with far-right or far-left parties,’ said European Commissioner Didier Reynders, a veteran of EU politics.
He added: ‘Let voters choose their elected representatives. We will react to the actions of the new government, and we have instruments at our disposal.’
The League's Matteo Salvini, Forza Italia's Silvio Berlusconi, and Brothers of Italy's Giorgia Meloni attend the final rally of the center-right coalition in central Rome, Thursday
That was echoed by Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, who warned that Brussels had ‘tools’ to deal with errant member states.
She said: ‘My approach is that whatever democratic government is willing to work with us, we're working together.’
As election day draws close, Italy has a huge amount of EU money on the line, awaiting nearly 200 billion euros in EU cash and loans as part of the country’s massive share of the bloc's coronavirus recovery stimulus package.
In order to secure each instalment, the government must deliver on a long list of commitments to reform and cut back spending made by previous administrations.
Sebastien Maillard, director of the Jacques Delors institute said: ‘To do without the billions from the recovery plan would be suicidal.’
Volunteers tape up the list of candidates names at a polling station in Rome on the eve of the country's legislative election
An EU official who works closely with Italy on economic issues added: ‘We will give them the benefit of the doubt.
‘We will judge them on their programme, who will be the finance minister. The names being mentioned are people that we
