Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right party has secured a decisive victory in the European elections with 28 percent of the votes, bolstering her leadership at home and strengthening her influential role in European politics.

Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party has solidified its position as Italy's most popular party, surpassing its 2022 general election performance of 26 percent, according to projections by state broadcaster RAI based on nearly 70 percent of votes counted.

The triumph in Italy's European Parliament elections provides Meloni with a significant boost after nearly two years in power, largely at the expense of her coalition partners in Rome.

Meanwhile, Matteo Salvini's hard-right League, which emerged as a major player in the 2019 EU election with over 34 percent of the vote, suffered a dramatic decline to just 8.5 percent this time, placing behind its former junior ally Forza Italia, which garnered over 9 percent.

On the opposition front, the center-left Democratic Party secured 24.5 percent, followed by the populist Five Star Movement with only 10.5 percent, a seven-point drop from the 2019 election.

Meloni, who personalized her campaign around her own "brand," has now positioned herself as one of the most influential figures in the EU, where far-right parties have made significant gains, dealing severe blows to two of the bloc’s key leaders: French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

"I’m proud that we are heading to the G7 and to Europe with the strongest government of all," Meloni remarked, commenting on the electoral results at her party’s headquarters early Monday. She described the outcome as "extraordinary" and pledged to use it as "fuel" for the future.

Despite her government's solid popular support, Meloni's conservative administration will need a robust mandate to address forthcoming challenges, particularly given Italy’s precarious public finances and the challenging budget ahead for 2025.

"I believe Meloni emerges stronger from these elections, primarily because this is a government that has not lost consensus, which is quite unique in Europe," remarked Giovanni Orsina, director of the school of government at LUISS University in Rome. "Secondly, with the growth of far-right parties, Meloni is in a pivotal position between the far right and the European People’s Party," he added.

According to the latest projections, Meloni’s party is set to secure between 23 to 25 seats in the European Parliament, a significant increase from the six seats it held after the 2019 elections when it was just a minor opposition party.

Mediterranean Tragedy off Libya: MSF Recovers 11 Bodies, Rescues Dozens in Desperate Rescue Mission

How Uniquely Google Marks 2024 European Parliament Elections with Doodles

Italy Heads to Polls for EU Elections with Giorgia Meloni Leading the Charge