The GuardianThe Guardian

Why Italy is on verge of electing its first far-right leader since second world war

By Lorenzo Tondo

15 Sep 2022 · 5 min read

Editor's Note

Italy never came to terms with its fascist past. This is why, according to this revealing Guardian analysis, the country is now on the verge of electing a leader that flirts with neofascist ideology.

A hundred years after the rise of Italian fascism was heralded by Mussolini’s 1922 march on Rome, the country is on the verge of electing a party with its roots in neo-fascism.

With just over a week to go until polling day, the smiling face of Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy, is emblazoned on thousands of posters from the heel in the south to the Alps in the north.

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