Italy election: Why we should all be paying attention to this far-right coalition

The result will be watched with great interest, and not just in Rome, writes David Harding

Meloni could even become Italy’s first female prime minister if results go the way of opinion polls (ANSA/AFP via Getty)

There is plenty of talk about the US midterms in November, but before then is another election that could have far-reaching global repercussions. On 25 September, Italy goes to the polls, and the result there threatens to trigger a political earthquake in Europe.

Leading the polls and looking set to win power is Italy’s version of an unholy trinity. A coalition led by the Brothers of Italy – a far-right group whose leader is a new shining light of the country’s political scene, Giorgia Meloni – also includes the equally right-wing League party, headed by Matteo Salvini, and making yet another comeback is Silvio Berlusconi, still leader of his Forza Italia party at the age of 85.

Meloni could even become Italy’s first female prime minister if the result goes the way of the opinion polls. There may be little else that is progressive about the coalition. Meloni went online recently to claim that, if she was victorious, her coalition would not represent a threat to democracy – not the most reassuring boast ahead of an election.