The president of the Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, Giorgia Meloni, declared victory in Sunday’s legislative elections in Italy on Monday, claiming the leadership of the next government.
In his first speech after Sunday’s vote, Meloni assured that the party will govern “for everyone” and “so that Italians feel proud to be Italians.”
“Italians have sent a clear message of support for a right-wing government led” by the FdI, Meloni, who is expected to become Italy’s first female executive, told media in the capital Rome.
According to partial results, the right-wing and far-right coalition -led by the FdI and which also includes Matteo Salvini’s League and Silvio Berlusconi’s conservative Força Italia party- obtained between 44.16% of the votes in the legislative.
The centre-left bloc, led by Enrico Letta’s Democratic Party, is expected to get 26% of the vote.
“It is time for the Italians to have a government that comes out of a decision at the polls and it is something for which everyone has to be held accountable,” Meloni stressed.
The 45-year-old politician lamented an electoral campaign that he described as “aggressive and violent” and assured that “Italy and the European Union need everyone’s contribution in the complex situation” in which they find themselves.
Turnout in Italy’s general election on Sunday was around 63.81%, down from 72.9% in the 2018 election, Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese said.
Meloni lamented the 36% abstention rate, the highest in history, and assured that the objective will be “to rebuild the relationship between the State and the citizens.”
“The challenge now is to get people to believe in the institutions; many Italians still choose not to trust them,” he said.
“We have to understand the responsibility that tens of millions of Italians have given us, we are not going to betray these people,” Meloni promised.
Source: TSF
