The far-right political party “Brothers of Italy (FDI)” and the right-wing alliance it leads have won the early elections in Italy on 25 September 2022. Thus, in Italy, where a far-right party came out first in the elections for the first time since the Second World War, a historical process is taking place. In the elections, while FDI leaded by Giorgia Meloni came out first by gaining 26% of the votes; coalition partners Matteo Salvini’s far-right League Party, which has anti-immigrant policies, and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s conservative Forza Italia (FI) Party gained 8.9% and 8% of the votes, respectively.
The election resulted in the victory of the right-wing parties led by Meloni, Salvini and Berlusconi, against the left-leaning Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement. Therefore, a coalition government will be formed in Italy consisting of the three parties. At the same time, the participation rate in the elections in the country, where 50.8 million voters have the right to vote, was 63.9%.[1] This rate, compared to other European countries, has been recorded as the lowest participation rate in the history of Italy, where participation in politics is generally high.[2]
It is expected that Meloni, who increased her vote share from 4% to 26% with the elections and thus declared great victory, is going to be the first female prime minister of the country. Meloni, who is described as a “national conservative”, “extreme right-wing” or “post-fascist” in the country, is expected to form the most right-wing government in Italy since the Second World War. Hence, the country will be ruled by a far-right leader for the first time after Benito Mussolini. In fact, the origins of the Meloni-led FDI, trace back to the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement which is the continuation of the Republican Fascist Party formed by Mussolini in 1943. Meloni, on the other hand, began to acquire far-right authority for the first time when she served as the Minister of Youth between 2009 and 2011.[3]
It is suggested that Meloni, who adopts an extreme right-wing policy is not pro-European Union (EU); on the contrary, she opposes the EU norms. It is seen that Meloni, who defends “traditional values”, has quite harsh statements especially about “LGBT.” Therefore, Meloni’s coming into power causes a number of concerns within the EU.
The situation gives rise to the question of “Would Meloni embrace a policy close to Russia?” However, it is known that although she was in in the opposition wing at the beginning of the war, Meloni supported the government led by the former Prime Minister Mario Draghi on the issue of defense assistance to Ukraine and harshly opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, it not expected that Meloni will adopt a completely anti-European attitude upon coming to power. However, it is possible that there will be some issues on which she will contradict with the EU.
It can be stated that Meloni, who is seen to have adopted a policy close to Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, will act in this direction. It is known that Orban, who has confronted the EU several times, shows an attitude that defends the renewal of the EU. Actually, this can be considered as a natural situation. As a matter of fact, these statements of Meloni supports the argument that Meloni stands close to Orban on the EU issue:[4]
“We are definitely not against Europe. We are in support of a Europe that is more efficient and knows how to be a real added value for its citizens. When it comes to Italy, I want to give back the role it deserves in the international context and better defend its national interests in EU institutions. Just as the Germans and the French do very well.”
In accordance with this approach, Meloni reacted against the decision on Hungary adopted by the European Parliament on 15 September 2022, saying that Orban came to office by winning the elections; therefore, is a democratic leader.[5] Based on this, it can be predicted that Meloni’s rise to power will help Italy-Hungary relations gain a positive momentum.
What Does the Elections in Italy Mean For the EU?
The general elections in Italy have been followed closely by Brussels due to worries that the axis of Italy, a founding member of the EU and the third largest economy in the eurozone, will shift and change the balances within the union. Besides, Meloni emphasized before the elections that she is not against Europe and that they will continue to cooperate with the EU.[6] However, it is seen that Brussels is cautious about the assurances on this issue given by far-right politicians who will come to power in Italy. The fact that President of the EU Commission Ursula Von der Leyen said the day before the elections that “if things go in a difficult direction, they can resort to various means against Italy, as in the case of Hungary and Poland” supports the issue.[7]
The statements mentioned above show that the EU has entered a difficult process regarding Italy. For this reason, the eyes were turned towards Brussels after the elections results were announced. Elisabeth Borne, the Prime Minister of France, said with regard to the election results: “The EU will carefully monitor human rights and the issue on access to abortion.” Thereby, she implicitly reacted against the victory of Meloni.[8]
To conclude, it can be said that the far-right in Europe continues to rise and this situation is certainly a serious threat for the EU. Moreover, it is believed that the rise of the far-right will increase Islamophobia, especially the Continental Europe will witness a new process and these developments will negatively impact the mechanism of the EU institutions. In addition, it can be stated that there will be some problems in EU-Italy relations. On the other hand, it can be suggested that the EU, which is working on a new sanctions package against Russia, will face a difficult process accepting the sanctions in question. It is questioned that what will be the approach of Meloni, who has developed a political discourse close to Orban, towards decision of the EU to apply additional sanctions on Russia. Hence, the EU, in response to Russia’s declaration of partial mobilization, may experience a process more difficult than ever in obtaining approval from all member states for the 8th sanctions package which is planned to be accepted on October 2022.
[1] “İtalya Seçimini Aşırı Sağdan Yana Kullandı: Sağ Blok Yüzde 44 Oy Oranını Geçti”, Euronews, https://tr.euronews.com/2022/09/26/italya-secimini-asiri-sagdan-yana-kullandi-sag-blok-yuzde-44-oy-oranina-yaklasti, (Date of Accession: 30.09.2022).
[2] “Aşırı Sağ, Seçmen Katılımı Ve Berlusconi: Beş Başlıkta İtalya’daki Seçim Sonuçları”, Euronews, https://tr.euronews.com/2022/09/26/asiri-sag-secmen-katilimi-ve-berlusconi-bes-baslikta-italyadaki-secim-sonuclari, (Date of Accession: 30.09.2022).
[3] Ibid.
[4] “Meloni: ‘My Party Does not Have an Anti-European Wing’”, Euractiv, https://www.euractiv.com/section/all/interview/meloni-my-party-does-not-have-an-anti-european-wing/, (Date of Accession: 30.09.2022).
[5] “Italy’s Meloni Backs Orbán, Says Hungary is ‘Democratic’”, Euractiv, https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/italys-meloni-backs-orban-says-hungary-is-democratic/, (Date of Accession: 30.09.2022).
[6] “Meloni: ‘My Party…’”, op. cit.
[7] “Leyen’in Sözlerine İtalya’dan Tepki”, Dünya, https://www.dunya.com/dunya/leyenin-sozlerine-italyadan-tepki-haberi-669869, (Date of Accession: 30.09.2022).
[8] “Fransa İtalya’da Seçimleri Aşırı Sağın Kazanmasından Rahatsız: İnsan Haklarının Durumunu İzleyeceğiz”, Euronews, https://tr.euronews.com/2022/09/26/fransa-italyada-secimleri-asiri-sagin-kazanmasindan-rahatsiz-insan-haklarinin-durumunu-izl, (Date of Accession: 30.09.2022).
