ROME: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right party, the Brothers of Italy, has triumphed in the European elections in Italy with a commanding 28% of the votes, affirming her leadership at home and bolstering her pivotal role in Europe.

The Brothers of Italy solidified its position as the country's most popular party, improving on its 26% performance in the 2022 general elections, according to projections by state broadcaster RAI with nearly 70% of votes counted.

This victory in Italy's voting for European Parliament representatives provides a significant boost for Meloni, after nearly two years in power, largely at the expense of her governing partners in Rome.

Matteo Salvini's hard-right League, in particular, suffered a major setback in the EU vote. After securing over 34% of the vote and finishing first in the 2019 EU election, the League managed only 8.5% this time, trailing its once junior ally, Forza Italia, which garnered over 9%.

In contrast, the main centre-left Democratic Party received 24.5% of the vote, while the populist Five Star Movement saw its support drop to 10.5%, a decrease of seven points from the 2019 election.

Personalizing her electoral campaign around her personal "brand," Meloni has now established herself as one of the most influential figures in the EU, where far-right parties have made significant gains, dealing significant defeats to two of the bloc's most prominent leaders: French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Commenting on the electoral results at her party's headquarters early Monday, Meloni expressed pride in her party's achievements. "I'm proud that we are heading to the G7 and to Europe with the strongest government of all," she said.

She described the outcome as "extraordinary" and pledged to use it as "fuel" for the future.

Despite her party's solid support, Meloni's conservative government will require a strong mandate to address the challenges ahead, particularly given Italy's fragile public finances and the prospect of a challenging budget for 2025.

Based on the latest projections, Meloni's party is expected to secure between 23 to 25 seats in the European Parliament, a substantial increase from the six seats it held after the 2019 elections, when it was merely a minor opposition party.

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