Italy’s Giorgia Meloni to contest EU election to boost support for party

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be fighting European Union (EU) elections slated to be held in June this year, she announced Sunday (Apr 28). However, she won’t be taking up the seat if elected. The elections will be held from June 6-9 and would be a litmus test for her 18-month-old rule. The move, Meloni says, is an effort to boost support for her Brothers of Italy party.

"We want to do in Europe what we did in Italy... create a majority that brings together the centre-right forces and send the left into opposition," Meloni declared at a party conference in the coastal city of Pescara to set out EU policies and launch the campaign.

Meloni vs EU

Meloni, a right-wing leader, has been a ferocious opponent to the European Union. She even called for leaving the Euro Zone in her 2022 election campaign, which had set alarm bells ringing in European capitals.

Following her victory and assumption of power, Meloni has followed a balanced approach, however. She has refrained from opposing the EU openly and sided with the bloc on Ukraine affairs.

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Meloni will now be the first name on the ballot against her party name in all five constituencies up for the EU election. To assure her supporters, Meloni has said she won’t use "a single minute" of her time as prime minister to campaign.

Other leaders in the fray

Opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein and Forza Italia party’s Antonio Tajani have also announced their intention to run.

According to recent polls, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy is the country’s most popular party with 27 per cent support. Opposition PD is on second spot, with 20 per cent support whereas the left-leaning 5-Star Movement enjoys 16 per cent support.

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If they are elected, all three running candidates—Meloni, Schlein and Tajani—are expected to vacate their seats to pave the way for runner-up candidates.

(With inputs from agencies)