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Giorgia Meloni, leader of the right-wing party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) holds a giant Italian national flag during a political rally on February 24, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party was created in 2012, but has its roots in Italy's 20th century neo-fascist movement that emerged after the death of fascist leader Benito Mussolini in 1945. After winning 4% of the vote in 2018's election, it has used its position in opposition to springboard into the mainstream. The Brothers of Italy party is expected to gain the largest share of the vote for a single party on Sunday. Fratelli d'Italia has been pro-NATO and pro-Ukraine and supports sanctions against Russia, unlike Lega which is ambivalent about those measures.

☆ Italy's right-wing parties seen winning power -exit polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Leader of Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni votes at a polling station during the snap election in Rome, Italy September 25, 2022. REUTERS/Yara NardiROME, Sept 25 (Reuters) - A right-wing alliance led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party looks set to win a majority in the next parliament, exit polls said on Sunday after voting ended in an Italian national election. An exit poll for state broadcaster RAI said the bloc of conservative parties, that also includes Matteo Salvini's League and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, won between 41 and 45%, enough to guarantee control of both houses of parliament. Italy's electoral law favours groups that manage to create pre-ballot pacts, giving them an outsized number of seats by comparison with their vote tally. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Crispian Balmer Editing by Keith WeirOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

ROME, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Polls opened in Italy on Sunday in an election that is forecast to return the country's most right-wing government since World War Two and also herald its first woman prime minister. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA right-wing alliance led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party appeared on course for a clear victory when the last opinion polls were published two weeks ago. read moreBut with a polls blackout in force in the two weeks before the election, there is still scope for a surprise. Meloni would be the obvious candidate for prime minister as leader of an alliance also featuring Matteo Salvini's League party and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia. Italy's first autumn national election in over a century was triggered by party infighting that brought down Prime Minister Mario Draghi's broad national unity government in July.

The Intel Corporation logo is seen at a temporary office during the World Economic Forum 2022 (WEF) in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland May 25, 2022. Intel's investment in Italy is part of a wider plan announced by the U.S. chipmaker last March to invest as much as 80 billion euros ($77.5 billion) over the next decade in building capacity across Europe. A spokesperson for Intel did not comment as negotiations are ongoing and confidential. Intel and the government had also initially considered sites in the Lombardy, Apulia and Sicily regions. The sources declined to provide further details, but Reuters has previously reported that Rome is ready to fund as much as 40% of Intel's total investment in Italy.

☆ Italy’s Election Front-Runner Sheds Far-Right Image, Courts the West
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Margherita Stancati | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ROME—Three years ago, Giorgia Meloni , then the leader of a small far-right party, took the stage before a large crowd gathered in front of one of Rome’s most revered churches and delivered a speech that turned her into a pop-culture sensation. “I am Giorgia! And you can’t take that away from me,” she boomed. After the rally, two amateur DJs remixed that phrase into an electro-dance track. Intended to mock her, the track instead went viral and boosted her popularity among conservative voters looking for new leadership.

☆ Ultra-conservative likely to become Italy's first female prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Polls show Giorgia Meloni and her far-right Brothers of Italy party ahead in Italy's general election. Meloni could become Italy's first female prime minister. CNN's Barbie Nadeau reports.

ROME, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Millions of Italians will vote on Sunday in an election that is forecast to return the country's most right-wing government since World War Two and usher in its first woman prime minister. Italy's first autumn national election in more than a century was triggered by party infighting that brought down Prime Minister Mario Draghi's broad national unity government in July. A right-wing alliance led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party appeared on course for a clear victory when the last opinion polls were published two weeks ago. That would cap a remarkable rise for Meloni, a 45-year-old from Rome whose party won only 4% of the vote in the last national election in 2018. CHALLENGESItaly has a history of political instability and the next prime minister will lead the country's 68th government since 1946 and face a host of challenges, notably rising energy costs.

Centre-left Democratic Party (PD) supporters gather before the electoral campaign closing event of Enrico Letta, secretary of PD, in Piazza del Popolo, ahead of the general election, in Rome, Italy, September 23, 2022. Pollsters say his relentless message has particularly resonated in the poorer south, where hundreds of thousands live off welfare, and could yet prevent a right-wing landslide. BERLUSCONI FIRESTORMBarely 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) away, Italy's main centre-left group, the Democratic Party (PD), wrapped up what critics say has been an underwhelming campaign, accusing the right of looking to isolate the country in Europe. Voting runs from 7 a.m to 11 p.m. (0500-2100 GMT) on Sunday, with exit polls released when balloting ends. The complex calculations required by a hybrid proportional/first-past-the-post electoral law mean it may be many hours before a precise count of parliamentary seats is available.

☆ Putin invaded to put 'decent people' in Kyiv, says Italy's Berlusconi
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"I haven't even understood why Russian troops spread around Ukraine while in my mind they should have only stuck around Kyiv", said the 85-year-old Berlusconi, who once described Putin as being like a younger brother. Ukraine initially chased his troops from the Kyiv area, and more recently from parts of the northeast near the Russia border. Putin now says the main aim is to secure territory in the Donbas region partly controlled by pro-Russia separatists. REUTERS/Yara Nardi"If on Sunday night the result is favourable to the right, the happiest person would be Putin," Letta told RAI radio. Centrist leader Carlo Calenda, another election contender, said on Radio24 said Berlusconi had spoken"like a Putin general".

☆ Take Five: Intervention watch is here
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. Election results from Italy, euro area inflation numbers and U.S. and Chinese data also give investors plenty to chew over. Japan's authorities finally had enough of a weak yen and intervened to stem a sharp decline against the dollar. Investors have already ramped up expectations for another 75 bps, ECB rate hike in October, so the data shouldn't change the near-term rate outlook. How a new government navigates an energy crunch that is pushing highly-indebted Italy into recession will also be under scrutiny.

Since publication of opinion polls was banned two weeks ago the left-leaning, unaligned 5-Star Movement appears to have made significant progress while the rightist League is struggling, according to seven pollsters interviewed by Reuters. "I would put the likelihood of a rightist majority at 60-65%, which has shrunk from about 80% three weeks ago." Their estimates on the probability of a conservative win ranged from 70% right up to 100% forecast by Federico Benini, head of the Winpoll agency. Nonetheless, most pollsters agreed the split between 5-Star and the PD will wreck both parties' chances in the third of the parliamentary seats assigned by a first-past-the-post system. "Even the growth of the 5-Star, unless it is phenomenal growth, appears insufficient to prevent the centre-right from winning," said Lorenzo Pregliasco, head of the YouTrend agency.

☆ EU's von der Leyen delivers veiled warning to Italy's right wing
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends the 77th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 21, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' DelgadoBRUSSELS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has warned Italy of consequences should it veer away from democratic principles, issuing a barely veiled threat ahead of Sunday's election that a rightist bloc led by Giorgia Meloni is expected to win. Matteo Salvini, the head of the League and a part of Meloni's conservative alliance, denounced her comments as "shameful arrogance". "Respect the free, democratic and sovereign vote of the Italian people!" Eric Mamer, spokesman for the European Commission, told reporters in Brussels that von der Leyen had not been looking to interfere in Italian politics.

☆ Putin was 'pushed' into Ukraine war, says Italy's Berlusconi
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Yara NardiROME, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin was "pushed" into the war on Ukraine to install a new government in Kyiv, former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi said late on Thursday, in comments likely to concern Western allies ahead of Italy's election. Berlusconi, whose Forza Italia party belongs to a right-wing coalition expected to win the general election on Sunday, is not new to defending Putin's actions in Ukraine. "I haven't even understood why Russian troops spread around Ukraine while in my mind they should have only stuck around Kyiv", Berlusconi insisted. Ukraine initially chased his troops from the Kyiv area, and more recently from the northeast near the Russia border. After Russia' annexation of Crimea in 2014, Berlusconi said that he visited the peninsula with Putin and saw locals come out and thank the Russian leader.

If Meloni wins, Sunday's election will hand Italy its most right-wing government since World War Two. German magazine Stern plastered its front page with a picture of Meloni under the banner: "the most dangerous woman in Europe". Macron has privately told EU officials he is concerned about a Meloni victory, according to sources aware of the conversations. rome-born meloni has a history of euroscepticism and shares Orban's anti-immigration views and the promotion of traditional family values. "This kind of 'sky is falling' narrative out there about the Italian election doesn't square with our expectations," one U.S. official said.

Lega (League) leader Matteo Salvini, Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi and Brothers of Italy leader Giorgia Meloni react during the closing electoral campaign rally of the centre-right's coalition in Piazza del Popolo, ahead of the September 25 general election, in Rome, Italy, September 22, 2022. Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy (Fdi), Matteo Salvini of the League and former premier Silvio Berlusconi of Forza Italia, aged 85, appeared before thousands of supporters in Rome. DAUNTING CHALLENGESIn office, Meloni would face daunting challenges including the threat of recession, inflation and spiking energy costs, on top of Italy's historically high public debt. The League leader has also questioned Meloni's fiscal caution, calling for an extra 30 billion euros ($29.6 billion) in public borrowing to fund measures against the energy crisis. Berlusconi, who rarely appears in public due to frail health, was the first to speak at the rally.

☆ Italy election set to crown Meloni head of most right-wing govt since WW2
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, speaks during a rally in Duomo square ahead of the Sept. 25 snap election, in Milan, Italy, September 11, 2022. "There is this idea in Italy that we have tried everyone else, so let's try her now," said Wolfango Piccoli, the co-president of political risk consultancy Teneo. But on the campaign trail she has been careful not to alienate those core supporters who associate with the far-right. Voting runs on Sunday from 7.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. (0500-2100 GMT), with full results due by Monday morning. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Crispian Balmer Editing by Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy’s first female leader, Amazon’s monopoly: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, speaks during a rally in Duomo square ahead of the Sept. 25 snap election, in Milan, Italy, September 11, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoLONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni is favourite to become prime minister after Sunday’s election. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists debate how she will handle Rome’s debt, which is expected to reach 148% of GDP. Listen to the podcastFollow @aimeedonnellan on TwitterRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEditing by Sharon Lam and Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ The far-right is expected to win Italy's election in Rome's biggest political shift for decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The Brothers of Italy party stands out from the crowd and is expected to gain the largest share of the vote for a single party. Giorgia Meloni, leader of the right-wing party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) holds a giant Italian national flag during a political rally on February 24, 2018 in Milan, Italy. The snap election follows the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi in July, after he failed to unite a fractious political coalition behind his economic policies. An election win by Fratelli d'Italia could see the party's leader, Giorgia Meloni, become Italy's first female prime minister. Fratelli d'Italia has been pro-NATO and pro-Ukraine and supports sanctions against Russia, unlike Lega which is ambivalent about those measures.

☆ Italy's conservative alliance in lockstep, ready to govern, says Meloni
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Meloni's party, Brothers of Italy, is widely expected to top the polls on Sunday, making her the frontrunner to be Italy's next prime minister. Opponents say her conservative alliance, which also includes Matteo Salvini's League and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, will struggle to stay united after divisions emerged during campaigning over energy and foreign policy. Amongst the major policies on which there was already a broad consensus were implementing tax cuts and preventing illegal immigration into Italy, Meloni said. Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, speaks during a rally in Duomo square ahead of the Sept. 25 snap election, in Milan, Italy, September 11, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo/Speaking in a separate interview, League leader Salvini said he thought it would take one-and-a-half months for the next government to take office, adding that, if the right won, its first priority would be to lower the pension age.

Fabio Panetta, director of international and European relations at the European Central Bank, attends the award ceremony for the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, January 31, 2020. REUTERS/Annegret HilseROME, Sept 20 (Reuters) - ECB board member Fabio Panetta is resisting calls from Giorgia Meloni, the front-runner to be Italy's next prime minister, to take the job of economy minister should the rightist bloc win election on Sunday, two political sources told Reuters. Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy party, wants Panetta to replace Daniele Franco at the helm of the Italian Treasury, but Panetta has made it clear he is not interested in the role, the sources said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterPanetta, 63, is a veteran of more than three decades at Italy's central bank and has sat on the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) since the start of 2020. A third, separate source close to the matter confirmed Panetta was the leading candidate to replace Visco.

☆ Italy's frontrunner party suspends candidate over Hitler praise
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An election campaign poster of Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, is displayed on a bus ahead of the snap election of September 25, in Rome, Italy September 20, 2022. Critics, however, say fascist sympathisers still flourish in its ranks and La Repubblica newspaper published this week a social media comment posted eight years ago by party candidate Calogero Pisano, hailing Hitler as a "great statesman". "The idea that those who praise Hitler can sit in the next parliament is unacceptable," Ruth Dureghello, head of the Jewish community in Rome, wrote on Twitter. "From this moment on, Pisano no longer represents (the party) at any level," it said in a statement. Brothers of Italy is widely expected to emerge as Italy's largest single party at the Sept. 25 vote and lead an alliance of right-wing parties to a comfortable victory.

☆ Italy's right-wing bloc set for election win: five questions for markets
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, is seen as frontrunner to become Italy's first female prime minister. read moreThe absence of anti-euro rhetoric seen in the 2018 election has reassured investors, for now. At around 225 basis points, the closely watched gap between 10-year Italian and German bond yields has been relatively stable . That would cause some angst since the constitution protects issues related to Italy's EU membership. read moreReuters Graphics2/ Could Italy's EU funding plan be modified?

☆ How Italy could tip into a tailspin
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, speaks during a rally in Duomo square ahead of the Sept. 25 snap election, in Milan, Italy, September 11, 2022. Italy will probably muddle through under Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy, which opinion polls suggest will be the largest party after this Sunday’s election. Nobody wants Italy to go into a tailspin and drag down countries such as France and Spain, which also have high levels of sovereign debt. She might think the EU would still keep financial support flowing to Italy as it wouldn’t have the guts for a confrontation. But if the ECB then refused to buy Italian debt, and if neither side blinked, there would be a blow-up.

☆ Italian women divided over the prospect of far-right female premier
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

ROME — If Italy elects the nation’s first female premier, will its women be delighted or dismayed? Should opinion polls prove on the mark, Giorgia Meloni and the far-right Brothers of Italy party she co-founded less than a decade ago will triumph in the Sept. 25 election. Nothing.”Meloni, 45, is the only main party leader who didn’t join Premier Mario Draghi’s pandemic national unity government in 2021. After populist forces, including two of Meloni’s campaign allies, yanked support for Draghi in July, the former European Central Bank chief’s coalition collapsed, prompting an early election. But she has snapped back at contentions that it wouldn’t be a victory for women if she becomes premier.

☆ China-Russia meeting as Ukraine war rages should remind the U.S. that Putin hasn't lost
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin might be losing on the battlefield, at least for the moment, but it’s a mistake to count out the master of the Kremlin. It’s not even enough to diminish the Russian leader’s influence in Europe. It’s not even enough to diminish the Russian leader’s influence in Europe, with Sweden and Italy on the precipice of forming new governments that could tilt toward him as well. From left; Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President in Tehran on July 19, 2022. Will they want their political futures hitched to Putin as the Ukraine war drags further on his image and capabilities?

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