The more than 51 million eligible voters can vote until late at night. The polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Italians abroad have been able to vote by letter in recent weeks. The eventual winner has to deal with a number of very difficult files: sky-high inflation, a looming recession and an energy crisis.
The party of 45-year-old Meloni could count on about a quarter of the vote, according to the most recent polls. This is followed by the center-left Democratic Party and the activist Five Star Movement. It remains to be seen whether there will soon be a parliamentary majority for the Fratelli d’Italia and their right-wing allies: the Lega of former minister Matteo Salvini and the Forza Italia of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
The Fratelli d’Italia has rapidly gained popularity in recent years. The party received just 4 percent of the vote in national elections in 2018, but was able to become the most visible opposition party after staying outside the government of national unity of technocrat Mario Draghi.
A government headed by Meloni would likely be the most right-wing since the fall of dictator Benito Mussolini. Meloni describes herself as a Christian mother and used the slogan “God, country and family”. She has lashed out at “woke ideology” and the “lgbti lobby”. Meloni has in the past been positive about Russian leader Vladimir Putin, but now supports arms supplies to Ukraine.