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On eve of election, Italy braces for potential far-right win
- Vote comes as Italy battles series of crises, from rampant inflation and extreme weather events to energy crisis aggravated by war in Ukraine
- Potential emergence of a far-right government in Italy puts European Union on alert amid concerns about stability, economy
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Italians were on Saturday braced for seismic change, on the eve of an election forecast to hand the country the most right-wing government since World War II.
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Out with internationally respected Mario Draghi and in – polls say – with Eurosceptic Giorgia Meloni, head of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party, who is widely tipped to become the country’s first female prime minister.
“The country is eager for a change, a new face,” Wolfango Piccoli of the London-based political risk consultancy Teneo said.
The vote comes as Italy battles a series of crises, from rampant inflation and extreme weather events linked to climate change, to an energy crisis aggravated by the war in Ukraine.
The potential emergence of a far-right government in Italy has also put the European Union on alert for disruptions, with fears that unity over the Ukraine war could be jeopardised. Italy’s massive debt is also seen as a threat to European stability if Rome turns its back on the sound financing championed by Draghi.
“What we are facing in the coming months is going to be very difficult and very much test European unity,” said Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive at the European Policy Centre.
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The campaign, sparked by Draghi’s downfall in July, wrapped up on Friday, giving Italians a day of reprieve as electioneering is banned until the vote.
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