As the European political elite responded with shocked silence, and then horror, to the stunning victory of Giorgia Meloni, congratulations poured in from resurgent nationalists, hailing a decisive and irreversible turning point in European politics that spells deep problems for the European project.
For the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, and for Vox, the Spanish far-right party that can only dream of emulating Meloni’s victory in the Spanish polls next year, a path to a sovereign Europe had been opened. Marine Le Pen, her party installed as the leaders of the opposition in the French parliament, said the Italian people “have decided to take their destiny in their hands by electing a patriotic and sovereign government”.
