‘All eyes on Rome’: Italy goes to the polls as anxious Europe watches on

Italy looks set to elect its first female prime minister

Italy’s voters will select a new government this weekend, and their choice of prime minister could have major repercussions for the rest of Europe.

It seems almost certain that voters will elect the first far-right leader of the post-Second World War era – and the first woman to lead an Italian government.

Giorgia Meloni heads the Brothers of Italy party, and has formed a three-party alliance with two prominent political veterans, Matteo Salvini of the League, and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, of Forza Italia, who has re-emerged as a central figure on the country’s political stage even though he turns 86 next week.