Italians are deciding whether to elect their most right-wing government since World War II, in an election closely followed across Europe.
Giorgia Maloney leads Italy’s far-right Fraternity Party and aims to become the country’s first female prime minister in a coalition with two other far-right parties.
He has softened his image and resented being linked to Italy’s fascist past.
About 51 million Italians have the right to vote by 23:00 (21:00 GMT).
President Sergio Mattarella cast his vote early in the Sicilian capital, Palermo, while Ms Meloni’s main rival – centre-left leader Enrico Letta – voted in Rome and her far-right ally Matteo Salvini voted in Milan. There are 2.6 million first-time voters and 4.7 million overseas.
Georgia Maloney has backed Western sanctions on Russia and toned down rhetoric on Europe.
But she still embraces an old fascist slogan – “God, fatherland and family” – has spoken out against the “LGBT lobby” and called for a naval blockade of Libya to stop migration.
In the town of Latina, an hour south of Rome, observers believe the far right could take over the city from the left. Founded in 1932 by fascist leader Benito Mussolini, Latina still bears the dictator’s vestiges, but has suffered from underfunding for years.
“Take a look, it’s a disaster,” says a passerby. The town has had a left-wing mayor in recent years, but is in the sights of the far-right. Matteo Salvini was here last week to kick off his League party campaign. The centre-right Forza Italia under 85-year-old former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is also part of his coalition.
“Meloni speaks to the courage of the people,” says Gianluca Atlante, a journalist with the local newspaper Latina Ogi. Behind it sits the imposing Palazzo Emme, built in the shape of a letter M for Mussolini. These days it serves as the local headquarters of the Ministry of Finance’s law enforcement agency.
Italy’s economy was booming after the Covid-19 pandemic, but then the energy crisis – largely triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – sent prices soaring. While politicians have spent recent days debating Russia and Europe, Italians are most worried about paying their bills.
The EU agreed to send Italy 200bn euros (£178bn) in post-Covid recovery grants and loans but this is conditional on reforms being agreed by Mario Draghi’s outgoing coalition government. Giorgia Meloni has called for the plan to be revised and to do more to “defend” Italy’s national interests in the EU.
Not surprisingly, many European leaders are watching the vote closely.
Until early August, Italy’s left and centre parties were aiming to mount a joint challenge to the Meloni alliance. But they failed to reach agreement, and Ms Meloni’s biggest rival in the opinion polls – centre-left Democratic Party leader Enrico Letta – now faces an uphill struggle.
He even shares several policies with the Five Star Movement led by Giuseppe Conte, but they do not see eye to eye.
From right to left, the politicians agree Italy’s school system is in a state of decay but schoolteachers such as Elisa are sceptical this election will change that.
Italians are electing two houses of parliament – the Chamber and the Senate – and under new rules their size has been cut by a third, so the Chamber has 400 seats and the Senate 200.
That is likely to help the winning alliance most, when coupled with Italy’s mixed electoral system. More than a third of seats are won by a UK-style first-past-the-post constituency contest, and more than 60% by proportional representation across Italy.
Any alliance that wins 40% of the vote could win as many as 60% of seats, Italian commentators believe. It is a new system so it is being closely watched, and by the right-wing alliance especially, because they need the backing of two-thirds of the parliament to carry out one of their keynote policies.
Even if Brothers of Italy do top the vote, and Giorgia Meloni’s allies hand her an overall majority, it is not their decision who becomes prime minister. That rests with President Mattarella, backed by parliament, and he plays an important role in Italy’s constitution.
Ms Meloni and her allies want a radical change to his role by making him a directly elected head of state rather than an impartial figure chosen by parliament. “Presidentialism” may sound more democratic, but there’s a reason why some Italians are worried by the thought of handing more power to their head of state – and that also goes back to Italy’s previous experience of fascism.
In Latina, they are not just watching the political battle playing out between left and right, there is another story that is also on people’s minds.
Standing for the Senate is one of Italy’s most treasured stars of the past, Gina Lollobrigida. Now 95, she became a cinema legend in the 1960s and she has defied a fractured femur to fight in Sunday’s election.
