The 2022 general Italian elections. The long-awaited victory of the right

Abstract

ABSTRACT The 2022 Italian parliamentary elections had an announced winner: the centre-right coalition led by Giorgia Meloni’s party (Fratelli d’Italia [F.d.I.]). Despite the low level of competitiveness, caused mainly by divisions in the centre-left camp, and the high predictability of the election outcome, the elections have had profound consequences for the Italian party system and also for decision-making within the European Union. In addition to providing a detailed analysis of the electoral results of the 2022 elections, the article will focus on the process that led, in a short period of time, to the formation of the new government led, for the first time in Italy”s history, by a woman and, above all, composed predominantly of far-right parties with a populist or sovereigntist attitude. Finally, in the concluding section the article will reflect on the ‘historical’ significance of these elections for the Italian political system, highlighting possible elements of tension for the democratic regime and for the relationship with other E.U. member-states.