Rome: Italian Prime Minister and far-right leader Giorgia Meloni has reinforced her political dominance at home and within the European Union. Her Brothers of Italy party gained 28.8 per cent of votes, earning 24 of Italy’s 76 seats in the legislative body.
This represents a dramatic increase from the 6.4 per cent share of votes won by the party in the last European Parliament vote in 2019 and an increase from the 26 per cent it earned in the 2022 national election, Xinhua news agency reported.
At her party headquarters, Meloni expressed pride in the results. “I'm proud that we are heading to the G7 and to Europe with the strongest government of all,” she stated. She described the outcome as “extraordinary” and pledged to use the momentum for future initiatives.
Despite its solid popular support, Meloni's conservative government needs a strong mandate to deal with the challenges ahead, especially given the fragile state of Italy's public finances and the prospect of a difficult budget for 2025.
Meloni, who personalized her electoral campaign betting on her personal “brand,” has now positioned herself as one of the most powerful figures in the EU, where far-right parties made major gains, dealing stunning defeats to two of the bloc's most important leaders: French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Elections to the European Parliament have taken place across the 27-country bloc over the past four days, with nearly 360 million people called upon to vote. While the vote does not directly impact national politics, as it only determines who sits in the EU legislature, domestic political issues tend to dominate voters' choices.
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Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron said he will dissolve the Parliament and hold snap elections, following his party's clear defeat in European Parliament elections earlier in the day. Elections to the National Assembly are to take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, Macron added.
He said the challenges faced by France required clarity and the people deserved respect. "At the end of this day, therefore, I cannot pretend that nothing has happened," he added. "The decision is serious and difficult, but it is above all an act of trust, trust in you, my dear compatriots," the President said, adding that he trusted the French people to make the best decisions in their interest and that of future generations.
