Giorgia Meloni's victory in the legislative elections brings Italy into a period of uncertainty

Giorgia Meloni after her victory in Rome on September 26, 2022. AP - Gregorio Borgia

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A period of uncertainty began on Monday in Italy after the victory in the legislative elections of post-fascist Giorgia Meloni, at the helm of a divided coalition which will have to agree on a government before facing the economic crisis in the face of Europe and worried markets.

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Armed with an absolute majority in Parliament, the leader of Fratelli d'Italia and her allies Matteo Salvini of the League (anti-immigration) and Silvio Berlusconi of Forza Italia (right) will discuss in the coming days with a view to forming a government, which will see the light of day at the earliest at the end of October.

Giiorgia Meloni won more than 26% of the vote in a context of record abstention (36%), and her coalition around 44%, which gives her a majority in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

The head of Fratelli d'Italia, who should become at 45 the first post-fascist leader of a founding country of Europe, wanted to reassure, both in Italy and abroad: "

the Italians, she promised.

Below the 9% mark, a score halved compared to 2018, Matteo Salvini is paying a high price for the League's participation in successive governments since 2018, but has ruled out resigning.

Concern of European partners

The arrival of a right-wing coalition in power in Rome

was feared in Brussels where many fear that Italy is entering a period of instability.

The European Commission hopes for “

” with the Italian coalition, but the first to congratulate Giorgia Meloni were the leaders of the two countries most in trouble with their partners in the Union: the Pole Mateusz Morawiecki and the Hungarian Viktor Orbán.

He is delighted to see arriving at a government “

”.

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs warns for his part that "

", thus reflecting the distrust of many in the face of the arrival of this coalition.

Giorgia Meloni, who promises the return of Italian sovereignty in the EU, also chairs the party of European conservatives and reformists where, for example, the Poles of the Law and Justice party sit, a political family that advocates societal choices described as counter- aware of the European values ​​of the rule of law, reports our correspondent in Brussels,

.

The spokesman for the German government nevertheless says that he expects Italy to remain very favorable to Europe.

But the concern of seeing the unity of the 27 on Ukraine crack is present since Viktor Orbán, hopes for the support of Italy to cancel the sanctions against Russia.

But as much as Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini have expressed their sympathies towards Vladimir Putin in the past,

, which bodes rather for tensions within the Italian coalition.

The French presidency guaranteed to respect the " 

 " of the Italians, believing that " 

 ".

Through the voice of their head of diplomacy Antony Blinken, the United States said they were "eager" to work with the new government, while encouraging respect for human rights.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was " 

 ".

A government by early November

Silvio Berlusconi wanted to be reassuring about the orientation of the next government, promising to "

 " and stressing that " 

 '. 

The disappointing scores of the League and Forza Italia cast doubt on the balance of the next executive.

We will know more in a month, because it takes an average of 65 days to form a new government in Italy, recalls our correspondent in Rome,

.

Everyone wants to go fast, but the procedure is slow.

The new Parliament will meet on October 13 to elect the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

From October 24, the Head of State will hear all party leaders, majority and opposition, and he will choose the person best placed to become Prime Minister.

After her electoral success, Giorgia Meloni says she is ready for the job.

It will have to obtain the approval of the president.

Sergio Mattarella may want to influence certain appointments if he deems it to be in the interest of the country.

In the midst of an energy crisis and with rising inflation, the choice of finance minister, for example, will be decisive for Italy's credibility.

Economic instability

Once named, the new government will be sworn in at the Quirinal Palace and will then seek votes of confidence from deputies and senators before being truly operational.

In principle, it will be at the beginning of November.

Until then, Mario Draghi continues to govern Italy.

While "Super Mario", presented as the savior of the euro zone

during the 2008 financial crisis, appeared as a guarantee of credibility in the eyes of its European partners, the coming to power of the nationalist, eurosceptic and sovereigntist extreme right raises fears of a new era of instability.

Especially since Italy, which is crumbling under a debt representing 150% of GDP, the highest ratio in the euro zone behind Greece, is experiencing inflation of more than 9%, with gas and electricity bills putting households and businesses in difficulty.

A sign of investors' persistent concerns about Italy's debt, the "spread", that is to say the closely watched gap between the German 10-year borrowing rate which refers to and that of Italy to ten years, soared to 235 points on Monday, up 6.68%.

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• Giorgia Meloni