(CNN) — Brothers of Italy leader Giorgia Meloni has claimed victory in a general election that seems set to install her as Italy’s first female Prime Minister, leading the most far-right government since the fascist era of Benito Mussolini.
Addressing the media and supporters in the early hours of Monday morning, Meloni said it was “a night of pride for many and a night of redemption.”
A 45-year-old mother from Rome, Meloni is deeply conservative, openly anti-LGBTQ, and has threatened to place same-sex unions, which were legalized in Italy in 2016, under review.
She has also called abortion a “tragedy,” raising fears for the future of women’s rights in the country.
Meloni entered Italy’s crowded political scene in 2006 and co-founded the Brothers of Italy in 2012, a party whose agenda is rooted in Euroskepticism and anti-immigration policies.
Preliminary results put an alliance of far-right parties, led by Meloni’s ultraconservative Brothers of Italy party, on track to win at least 44% of the vote, according to the Italian Interior Ministry.
With 63% of votes counted, the Brothers of Italy party had won at least 26%, with coalition partners the League, led by Matteo Salvini, taking around 9% and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia scoring over 8%.
Final results are expected later Monday, but it’s expected to take weeks for a new government to be formed.
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