Meloni’s Coalition Retains Calabria Seat in By-Election Test Against Far-Right Rival

Italy’s ruling centre-right coalition has retained a parliamentary seat in the southern region of Calabria, defeating a challenge from a new far-right party led by former army general Roberto Vannacci.

The by-election was closely watched as an early test of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition ahead of Italy’s general election scheduled for next year.

The government-backed candidate won about 53% of the vote, according to a partial count, while Vannacci’s candidate received roughly 10%. The centre-left candidate secured about 35%.

Vannacci’s National Future party, launched in February, has gained around 9% support in national opinion polls, according to Reuters. Its rise has created competition on the right and raised concerns within Meloni’s coalition that it could attract some voters who previously supported the government.

Political analysts had expected Vannacci’s candidate to perform more strongly in Reggio Calabria, a traditionally conservative constituency, with some suggesting that a stronger result could have divided the right-wing vote.

However, turnout was particularly low, falling to about 22%, compared with 49.4% in 2022.

Roberto Occhiuto, governor of Calabria and deputy leader of coalition party Forza Italia, celebrated the result, describing the victory as a landslide.

Vannacci did not immediately comment on the outcome.

The result comes as Meloni faces a changing political landscape on the right, with National Future campaigning on anti-migrant policies and what Vannacci describes as traditional Italian values.

The possibility of an alliance between Meloni’s coalition and Vannacci’s party has also been discussed, although some members of the ruling coalition have warned that such an arrangement could create tensions within the government.

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