Her ultra-conservative party, whose origins lie in post-war fascism, control just two of Italy’s 20 regions, winning just 4.5% of the vote in the 2018 elections.

But since the collapse of former Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s coalition earlier in this year — which triggered the snap election — the Brothers of Italy have only surged in popularity, with recent polling suggesting nearly a quarter of the electorate backs her. 

Meloni, a 45-year-old mother from Rome who has campaigned under the slogan “God, country and family,” leads a party whose agenda is rooted in Euroskepticism, anti-immigration policies, and one that has also proposed weakening LGBTQ and abortion rights.

Her astronomical rise in popularity is a reflection of Italy’s longstanding rejection of mainstream politics, seen most recently with the country’s support of anti-establishment parties such as the Five Star Movement and Matteo Salvini’s League.