Italy's PM Meloni to stand in EU elections to boost ruling far-right party

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced she will stand in June's European Parliament elections to boost support for her far-right Brothers of Italy party and encourage European conservatives, though she will not take up the seat if elected, as it would mean she would be forced to resign head of government.

"We want to do in Europe exactly what we did in Italy on 25 September 2022: creating a majority that brings together the forces of the right to finally send the left into opposition, even in Europe," Meloni said at a party conference to set out EU policies and launch the campaign on Sunday in the coastal city of Pescara.

With calls for Italy to leave the euro zone, Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, which has roots in Benito Mussolini's Fascist group, came in first in the 2022 general election, with 26 percent of the vote.

Since the election Meloni has followed a broadly pro-European line, particularly on foreign policy and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Unifying European conservatives

On Sunday, Meloni praised her government's efforts to combat illegal immigration, protect families and defend Christian values in its 18 months in office, before announcing she would be running for a seat in the European Parliament in the 6-9 June elections.

"I'm doing it because in addition to being president of Brothers of Italy I'm also the leader of the European conservatives who want to have a decisive role in changing the course of European politics," she said.

In France, where the far-right National Rally is leading in the polls, with over 30 percent of votes, party leader Jordan Bardella announced that Marine Le Pen would enter the campaign in the coming days.

The former presidential candidate will appear second to last on the list.

Will not step down as PM

Meloni will be the first name on the Brothers of Italy list, but she said she would not use a “single minute" of her time as prime minister to campaign, and she is expected to give up her seat if she wins.

Brothers of Italy is the most popular in the country, with 27 percent support, according to recent polls, followed by the ahead of the opposition Democratic Party and the left-leaning 5-Star Movement

Brothers of Italy will be in direct competition with its coalition partners Lega and Forza Italia, founded by Silvio Berlusconi, which are polling at about seven percent and eight percent, respectively.

(with newswires)