Giorgia wins by a landslide in the centre-right and thanks to her Elly’s PD now dominates in the centre-left
With the polarization of the confrontation, the two leaders have put in place two strong parties and a sort of bipolarism
ROME – With more than2,300,000 preferences, Giorgia Meloni is the undisputed queenof the 2024 European elections. Thanks to her extraordinary personal success, the Brothers of Italy leap to 28.8% of the votes consensusfrom 26% taken in the 2022 elections (but with a much larger number of real votes. However, it can be said that it is only thanks to the successful electoral campaign ofGiorgia. Other confirmation, just look at the preferences taken by the other party big names, all below 100 thousand
THE CENTER-RIGHT
Even at government level, Prime Minister Meloni emerges strengthened, the only leader at European level given the defeats taken by President Macron in France and by German Prime Minister Scholz. In the Italian centre-right Forza Italia, led by Antonio Tajani, managed to overthrow Matteo Salvini’s League, placing itself in second place. This is another guarantee on the stability and navigation of the government thanks to the ‘moderate and calm’ strength of the Azzurri. For Salvini, however you want to put it, the situation is very complicated. Despite the candidacy of General Vannacci, who with over 540 thousand preferences has filled up among the Northern League supporters, Salvini was unable to reach double figures, stopping at 9% equal to approximately 2,100,000 votes. The percentage, in concrete terms, is equal to that of the previous 2022 elections but 400 thousand real votes are missing. According to some League sources, “in the next month there will be an earthquake within the League, because Salvini has already made it clear that he wants to cut off the heads of those who have gone against it”. Starting “from the expulsion of Umberto Bossi, the founder, accused of treason for having voted Forza Italia”. Not just Bossi, according to internal sources“Salvini will also come down hard on the governor of Veneto Zaia and that of Friuli Fedriga, given that many votes were missing in the North East”. What will happen? Will Salvini be able to keep the League united or will there be a split with the return of the Venetian League? Forza Italia essentially maintained its political votes, 2,237,000 votes, which in percentage terms this time allowed it to be overtaken, reaching 9.6%.
THE CENTRO-SINISTRA
As regards the opposition, Elly Schlein’s Democratic Party won and also the Green Left Alliance. As for the Dems, who compared to the 2022 political data recover around 250 thousand more real votes, from 5,348,000 to 5,600,000 coming to24 .1%. The happy combination won in the Democratic Party: the message of the young and alternative secretary Schlein, who moved the party towards more left-wing issues, together with the experience of the many mayors and administrators who in the area with the personal preferences, just think of the over 500 thousand taken by the mayor of Bari Decaro, have made the party move forward. Schlein emerges strengthened by the result, but now she will have to implement a winning strategy to build a true and competitive government alliance alternative to that of the center-right led by Meloni. It will be helped by the success of the Green Left Alliance which broke through the barrier reaching 6.7%. Thanks to the candidacy ofIlaria Salis, the young teacher detained in Hungary, and also to many votes that seem to have come from Giuseppe Conte’s 5 Star Movement. A movement that suffers a bad defeat, going from 15.4% of the last political elections to 10% of these European elections. Even for Conte there will soon be a moment of truth, his ‘alone against all’ line, and his constant distinctions will now have to find a new synthesis. And perhaps very soon we will also see alternative candidates for leadership.
THE CENTER
Many votes were lost on the reformist side, with the two Renzi-Bonino and Calenda lists not reaching 4% remaining outside the European Parliament. Further insult, now the candidates who would have won with the sum of their percentage will be distributed among the winning forces. Even for Renzi and Calenda it’s time to draw conclusions: go on like this, hurt yourself again with the risk that there won’t be any voters left; or take a step back and entrust to a third party (Francesco Rutelli?) the task of finding the political square and a minimum of common themes. As regards the overall political data, in fact these European elections with the polarization of the confrontation between Meloni and Schlein have brought into play two strong parties and a sort of bipolarism: there are two stars, Brothers of Italy and the Democratic Party, and around them from now on all the other small planets will have to choose their electoral orbit.