PM Morawiecki congratulates Italian right-wing allies on election win

Giorgia Meloni looks set to become Italy's first woman prime minister at the head of its most right-wing government since World War Two after leading a conservative alliance to triumph at Sunday's election.

Provisional results showed the rightist bloc should have a strong majority in both houses of parliament, potentially giving Italy a rare chance of political stability after years of upheaval and fragile coalitions.

However, Meloni and her allies face a daunting list of challenges, including soaring energy prices, war in Ukraine and renewed slowdown in the euro zone's third largest economy.

"We must remember that we are not at the end point, we are at the starting point. It is from tomorrow that we must prove our worth," the 45-year-old Meloni told cheering supporters of her nationalist Brothers of Italy party early Monday morning.

"Congratulations @GiorgiaMeloni!" - Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Twitter.

Morawiecki also congratulated the Italian right-wing alliance on Facebook, calling the election triumph a "great victory". Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and Brothers of Italy are both members of the European Conservatists and Reformists Group in the European Parliament.

Leader of Poland's largest opposition party - Civic Platform - and the country's former prime minister Donald Tusk on Monday was asked about Giorgia Meloni's comments seen as anti-European. In his view, the shift of power in Italy does not necessarily have mean the country will change its course regarding further support for Ukraine.

"I do hope so - it's not certainty, but hope that at least the European policy on Ukraine and Russia will not suffer, this recent policy, and that Italian men and women will remain loyal partners to the EU and NATO in that regard," Tusk said.

He also stressed - quoting Financial Times' expert analyses - that in recent weeks Meloni had ceased to use anti-European rhetoric. In his opinion, "even two years ago ears would swell from radical and anti-European rhetoric". "Well, ahead of the election you could hear clear pro-European declarations," Polish former prime minister added.

"It's not a rare phenomenon that - when faced with a necessity to take responsibility for power - radical politicians begin to lean towards the centre. But, of course, I think that in longer perspective a problem exists," Civic Platform leader said.

Meloni plays down her party's post-fascist roots and portrays it as a mainstream group like Britain's Conservatives. She has pledged to back Western policy on Ukraine and not take risks with Italy's fragile finances.

European capitals and financial markets will carefully scrutinize her early moves, given her eurosceptic past and her allies' ambivalent position on Russia.

In her victory speech, Meloni struck a conciliatory tone. "If we are called on to govern this nation we will do it for all the Italians, with the aim of uniting the people and focusing on what unites us rather than what divides us," she said. "This is a time for being responsible."

"I expect that for at least five years we will press ahead without any changes, without any twists, prioritising the things we need to do," said Matteo Salvini, leader of the League party that is one of the main allies of Meloni's Brothers of Italy.

Near final results showed the rightist bloc, which also includes Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, should have a solid majority in both houses of parliament, potentially ending years of upheaval and fragile coalitions.

The result is the latest success for the right in Europe after a breakthrough for the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats in an election this month and advances made by the National Rally in France in June.

Meloni and her allies face a daunting list of challenges, including soaring energy prices, war in Ukraine and a renewed slowdown in the euro zone's third-largest economy.

Her coalition government, Italy's 68th since 1946, is unlikely to be installed before the end of October and Prime Minister Mario Draghi remains at the head of a caretaker administration for now.

Despite the talk of stability, Meloni's alliance is split on some highly sensitive issues that might be difficult to reconcile once in government.

Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank, pushed Rome to the centre of EU policy-making during his 18-month stint in office, forging close ties with Paris and Berlin.

In Europe, the first to hail Meloni's victory were hard-right opposition parties in Spain and France, and Poland and Hungary's national conservative governments which both have strained relations with Brussels.

Salvini questions the West's sanctions against Russia and both he and Berlusconi have often expressed their admiration for its leader, Vladimir Putin.

The allies also have differing views on how to deal with surging energy bills and have laid out a raft of promises, including tax cuts and pension reform, that Italy will struggle to afford.

With results counted in more than 97% of polling stations, the Brothers of Italy led with more than 26% over the vote, up from just 4% in the last national election in 2018, supplanting the League as the driving force on the right.

The League took only around 9%, down from more than 17% four years ago, but despite the relatively low score, Salvini said he would stay on as party leader. Berlusconi's Forza Italia scored around 8%.

Centre-left and centrist parties won more votes than the right but were penalised by an electoral law that rewards broad alliances. Enrico Letta, the head of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party, announced he would stand down as leader.

Despite its clear-cut result, the vote was not a ringing endorsement for the right bloc. Turnout was just 64% against 73% four years ago - a record low in a country that has historically had strong voter participation.