As Sunday’s general election in Italy nears, the heat turns up with intense sparring between the parties. In the latest instalment, Meloni told Spanish news agency EFE she hopes a win for her coalition would pave the way for the far-right Vox group in Spain.
The already tense campaign for Sunday’s general election has heated up further after Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgio Meloni told Spanish agency EFE she hopes a victory for the centre-right coalition that her party is spearheading will pave the way for a triumph by the far-right Vox group in Spain.
“Vox is truly a neo-fascist party,” said Carlo Calenda, the leader of the Azione party that belongs to the centrist ‘Third Pole’. “I have never said it would be an alarm for democracy (if the centre right wins on Sunday), but if Meloni starts saying she wants Vox in government, tomorrow it’ll be Le Pen, Orban and maybe the AFD; so you have to watch out because these people are openly fascist”.
Meanwhile, PD Lower House whip Debora Serracchiani said Meloni had “taken off the mask” by supporting Vox.
Enrico Letta, the head of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), said he was not surprised by Meloni’s endorsement. He added a Vox victory in Spain would by a “terrible signal for Europe”. Letta has said Italian democracy will be in peril if the centre-right alliance wins the election. Of particular concern for him is if the coalition gains 70% of the seats in parliament. They they would be able to change the Constitution without a referendum.
Letta and Meloni sparring
Earlier in the week, Letta and Meloni butted heads after he visited Berlin and got the endorsement of Germany’s Social Democrat Party (SPD). The SPD Co-leader Lars Klinhgbeil called FdI a “post-fascist” party.
Meloni accused Letta of trying to win the “protection of foreign powers” rather than the support of the Italian people.
The PD was a close second to FdI in the polls before a pre-vote survey blackout kicked in. However, the centre-right coalition as a whole had a lead of almost 20 points over the centre-left bloc. As a result, Meloni could become Italy’s first woman premier after the election.
