Victory of the Brothers of Italy leader and poor results for the Democratic Party
On Sunday, September 25, early elections were held in Italy, and according to statistics and surveys, more than 6 out of every 10 Italians showed up at the polls. The turnout in the 2022 elections was about 63.95%, which is low in Italy’s history. The center-right led by Giorgia Meloni won the elections, and more importantly, Meloni’s victory is significant. Overall, the coalition managed to secure 44% of the votes, with about 26% going to the Brothers of Italy party, the Lega party almost 9%, which is a significant drop compared to the previous term, and Forza Italia captured 8% of the votes.
However, the center-left failed to secure more than 27% of the votes. Among them, the Democratic Party (PD) achieved an unsatisfactory result and couldn’t even reach 20% of the votes. However, the Five Star Movement performed well, capturing about 15.4% of the votes. Among those, one of the parties that achieved the worst result was the newly established Civic Commitment party, led by former Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. The percentage of votes for this party did not even reach one percent, and as a result, it was dissolved. This fate was similarly repeated for the More Europe party (Più Europa).
However, the center-left failed to secure more than 27% of the votes. Among them, the Democratic Party (PD) achieved an unsatisfactory result and couldn’t even reach 20% of the votes. However, the Five Star Movement performed well, capturing about 15.4% of the votes. Among those, one of the parties that achieved the worst result was the newly established Civic Commitment party, led by former Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. The percentage of votes for this party did not even reach one percent, and as a result, it was dissolved. This fate was similarly repeated for the More Europe party (Più Europa).
Center-right party: Meloni’s victory and Salvini’s fall
With 26% of the votes, Brothers of Italy is effectively the first Italian party and won the elections with a remarkable success. However, the right-wing Lega party, which is in coalition with Brothers of Italy, achieved a very weak result in this term, managing to secure only about 9% of the Italian people’s votes, which is a significant drop compared to its 17% vote in 2018.
One day after the voting, with the approximate results becoming clear, Meloni announced that our government belongs to all Italians and we will govern for all people. In her first statements, she said this election was a clear and explicit message from the people to the center-right government led by Brothers of Italy. Now is the time for responsibility; a time when if you want to be part of history, you must understand what a great responsibility we have towards tens of millions of people, because Italy has chosen us, and we will not betray it, just as we have never betrayed it.
Meloni added that now that we have been called to govern the nation, we will do so for everyone. We want to elevate what unites and solidifies the Italian people and intend to unite the people.
The fact that Brothers of Italy is the first party means a lot to us. This is certainly a night of pride, redemption, tears, hugs, and dreams for many of us. She added that we must remember that we are not at the point of arrival, but at the point of departure, and from tomorrow we must prove our worth. We are once again proud to be Italian. Meloni also thanked her allies Matteo Salvini, Silvio Berlusconi, and Maurizio Lupi, and all Italians who did not believe in rumors and speculations.
Finally, citing a quote from Saint Francis, one of the most famous and sacred figures in Christianity and the founder of the Franciscan order, she concluded her speech: Start doing what seems possible, and then you will realize that you have achieved the impossible. The center-right party will also have a majority in the Senate, and survey results indicate that the center-right party could secure 119 seats in the Senate, which in turn will be a reason for the new government to step towards the future with more confidence.
The Democratic Party at its historical low
The center-left coalition concluded this election round with 26% of the votes, a figure much lower than the opposing coalition. The Democratic Party disproved the predictions of some pre-election surveys that believed this party would rival Brothers of Italy. The Democratic Party managed to secure 19% of the votes, which is slightly higher than the percentage they obtained in the 2018 elections, 18.7%.
Enrico Letta, the leader of the Democratic Party, described the result achieved for his party as very unsatisfactory and announced that he would not run as the party’s secretary in the new congress and emphasized the need for a new Democratic Party. He added that in the coming days, we will take the necessary steps to form a new congress, and this will be a good opportunity for the new Democratic Party to think about what it wants to be and review its goals.
A new party that has the ability to face the challenges of the new era because we are facing a right-wing party that has never been this right-wing and extreme.
Enrico Letta said we have tough days ahead, and if we have reached Meloni’s government today, it is because of Giuseppe Conte. He was the catalyst for the downfall of the previous government. We will remain in the opposition with all seriousness and will not allow Italy to distance itself from European values and the important principles of the constitution. Therefore, we are a serious, tough, and uncompromising opposition and will begin our utmost effort to think about a better future starting tomorrow.
The Five Star Movement: The first party in the south
Among the results of the 2022 Italian elections, without a doubt, the 15.4% result of the Five Star Movement led by Giuseppe Conte stands out more than other parties. The political power that caused a crisis in the Draghi government and ultimately led to the resignation of the Prime Minister managed to reverse the downward path it had been on since 2019. Giuseppe Conte, the leader of the Five Star Movement, said we are the third political power in parliament. We had a great comeback. Everyone wanted to remove the movement from the scene and marginalize it.
He added that we will be an uncompromising opposition. He continued, many believed that the movement would be marginalized and predicted a single-digit vote for us. Instead, this comeback and the fact that we are the first party in the south shows that when you have a project idea and enthusiasm and speak with honesty and sincerity to the citizens, they will respond.
Giuseppe Conte then spoke about the victory of the center-right, saying frankly, we are a tough opposition and will defend our position and the reforms made, and we will not allow anyone to question them. We have a large part of the country on our side.
Regarding the center-right, Conte continued, they are the majority coalition in parliament, not in the country, and unfortunately, this result is due to an electoral law that we ourselves object to and disagree with. For this reason, our first effort and struggle will be to reform this electoral law and provide a suitable solution. He also emphasized that as the first political party in Italy, we will continue to fight against inequality.