Last Sunday, Italy went to the polls for the general elections. The turnout in the elections was 64 percent. This rate is 10 percent lower than the 2018 elections. Although this turnout in Italy, which has a total of 50.8 million voters, is the "lowest turnout in the history of the general elections in Italy", in general terms, it is not a bad rate in European conditions.
In these elections, the Brothers of Italy Party (Fdl), led by Giorgia Meloni, known for its extreme right-wing identity, made a very important debut with over 26 percent of the vote. Other components of the right-wing alliance, the League Party led by Matteo Salvini, received 8.9 percent, while the right-wing Forza Italia (FI), led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, received 8 percent.
The total votes of these three parties approached 44 percent and to form the government, they gained a significant power to form the government by taking the absolute majority both in the Senate, which is the upper house of the parliament with 200 members, and in the House of Representatives, which has 400 seats. Its rivals, the centre-left alliance, received around 27 percent of the vote. The fact that these results are somewhat shocking is the fact that Fdl received only 4.4 percent of the vote in 2018.
The fact that it has increased its vote rate more than 5 times in just 4 years has brought the question of what the Italian people mean to the center of the agenda. The leader of the party, Giorgia Meloni, seems to be the first female prime minister of his country according to the election results. Although the European Union (EU) may not seem to care too much with the election, they are discussing inwardly where the developments in Italy coincide in the future of the union. The answers to the question of what could be the effects of these results in Italy, the third largest economy in Europe, on the EU have already begun to be sought. Seeing this uneasiness, Meloni tried to reduce the tension by giving warm messages, but it is not clear how much this convinced the other side.
There is also Meloni's view of Turkey and Turkey-EU relations, which is actually clearer than her statements about the EU. It is not known whether the Prime Minister will revise her thoughts on Turkey when she takes her seat, but Meloni draws a profile that is completely anti-Turkey. By calling on the EU, she thinks that Turkey has no place in the union and that the negotiations should be terminated as soon as possible. She loudly asserts that the candidate country status should be canceled as soon as possible and the partnership process should be ended.
The success of the far-right Marine Le Pen in France in the last elections, the increasing influence of the Alternative Party for Germany (Afd), a far-right party in Germany, brought the examples of Meloni's electoral success to the agenda once again. We will wait and see if these results in Italy will have a domino effect in Germany and France in the near future.
Meloni, who is closest to the prime minister, is actually a political personality known for being anti-Islam. They have strong messages that the Islamization of Europe should be prevented. Anti-immigration has become one of the most important campaign rhetoric. She appeared before the electorate with promises that illegal immigration should be prevented. Interestingly, she advocates liberal economics. She thinks that the family must be protected. It emphasizes the male and female gender. She strongly objects to the concept of gender. Meloni is a staunch defender of the Italian national and religious identity. She advocates low taxes.
It unconditionally supports Ukraine. In other words, we can say that the whole world will follow Italy, led by Meloni, who voiced these theses more closely.
What kind of change will the will of the Italian people bring with it or will there be a change in Europe, we will look at the footsteps of Meloni and look for the answer to all these. I do not expect these results to reveal a period like the fascism of the 20th century in Italy. Even though Mussolini's spirit is floating around, I don't think it's possible that Italy is politically closed and can act independently of regional and global realities. Such a society is not very possible in today's conditions, especially in Europe. We will have tested whether these results will only affect Europe in the near future.