Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's nationalist Brothers of Italy (FdI) party has come first in the country's European Parliament elections, winning 26-30% of the vote according to a forecast by national public broadcaster Rai.
If confirmed, this would be an increase of around 20 percentage points compared to the 2019 European elections, placing the party ahead of all other on the left and right of the political spectrum.
The forecast places a left-wing alliance led by the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) party in second place, with 21 to 25% of the vote.
Meloni was the so-called lead candidate for the FdI, which has its roots in Italy's post-fascist movement. However, she does not want to take up a seat in the European Parliament, preferring to remain in Rome as prime minister.
The 47-year old has led a coalition of three right-wing parties since October 2022. Sunday's result, if confirmed, is expected to give her considerable influence at the European level - including on Ursula von der Leyen's future as European Commission president.
