Italy’s drift to the far right began long before the rise of Giorgia Meloni | David Broder

A normalisation of far-right parties dating back to Berlusconi has paved the way for the breakthrough of Brothers of Italy

Giorgia Meloni scored a remarkable success in yesterday's Italian election - and is all but certain to become prime minister. Her post-fascist Brothers of Italy party's 26% of the vote makes it the largest party nationally. Overall, the rightwing coalition it now leads will have a considerable majority in both houses of parliament.

Part of the explanation lies in the weakness of the opposition. The eclectic Five Star Movement (15%) and the centre-left Democrats (19%) did not join forces and, after years of failing to improve working-class living standards, were unable to rally the left's historic base. Turnout was easily the lowest in the republic's history, with only 64% of Italians voting.

David Broder is the author of Mussolini's Grandchildren: Fascism In Contemporary Italy