Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who heads the Eurosceptic party Brothers of Italy (FdL), could potentially play a kingmaker role in the upcoming European Parliament elections. While right-wing parties are not projected to win a majority in the Parliament, they are expected to make substantial gains, and Meloni’s party could become a significant player in determining the outcome.
The European Parliament is the top lawmaking body of the 27-member bloc European Union (EU), and Italy has 76 of the 720 seats in the Parliament. Therefore, Meloni could have a substantial role in propping up a majority coalition and deciding whether current EU President Ursula von der Leyen will get another term.
Von der Leyen has expressed her disdain for pro-Russia far-right parties in Europe, such as those in Germany, France, and Hungary, but she has been more vocal in her support of Meloni, describing her as “clearly pro-European”. Von der Leyen’s party, the European People’s Party (EPP), is expected to emerge as the largest party in the Parliament, but whether it wins a majority and whether Meloni supports it in case of a minority remain to be seen.
According to the latest poll of polls by Politico, Meloni’s EU bloc European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR) is projected to win 76 seats, making it a potentially significant force in the Parliament. Meloni has also positioned herself as a conservative leader in Europe, stating that she seeks to replicate the Italian policies she has implemented across the continent. She has said that she sees herself as the leader of European conservatives and wants to “have a decisive role in changing the course of European politics.”
Despite Meloni’s Eurosceptic background, her foreign policy is in line with the mainstream European policy. She has been supportive of aid to Ukraine and is in sync with the situation in the Middle East crisis as well. This makes her more acceptable for moderates than leaders of far-right parties, such as Marine Le Pen of France’s National Rally (RN) party and Viktor Orban of Hungary’s Fidesz party.
