Italy PM Giorgia Meloni triumphs in regional elections, strengthens grip on power
- The victory by the prime minister’s right-wing coalition cements her position nearly 4 months after she took office
- The regional results suggest Meloni’s post-fascist Brothers of Italy party is still enjoying an electoral honeymoon after a historic vote in September
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition on Monday secured victory in regional elections, cementing her position almost four months after taking office.
In the northern region of Lombardy, Italy’s economic powerhouse that includes Milan, Attilio Fontana was easily re-elected president with the coalition’s support.
With the vast majority of ballots counted after voting on Sunday and Monday, Fontana was on 55 per cent, his centre-left rival on almost 34 per cent, official figures showed.
In Lazio, the region that includes the capital Rome, coalition candidate Francesco Rocca, the former head of Italy’s Red Cross, was on 53 per cent with his main opponent trailing on around 34 per cent.
Despite low turnout of around 40 per cent, Meloni hailed a “clear victory”. “A result that consolidates the centre-right’s coherence, and strengthens the work of the government,” she wrote on Twitter.
Meloni’s post-fascist Brothers of Italy party made history in September by winning 26 per cent of the vote in national elections. She formed a government with Matteo Salvini’s far-right League and former premier Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing Forza Italia.
