ROME

Giorgia Meloni, the far-right frontrunner for Italy’s prime minister, promised her voters that a united center-right is ready to form government after winning the Sept. 25 elections.

Ending the center-right electoral campaign with a rally in the central Piazza del Popolo in Rome, in front of thousands of supporters waving flags, Meloni said her government would be “solid and cohesive” and would be able to stay in place for five years.

“We are ready and you will see that on Sept. 25,” Meloni said, pledging to give Italy back “freedom and pride.”

The rally closed a heated electoral campaign, in which Meloni and her two allies, the League’s leader Matteo Salvini and Forza Italia’s Silvio Berlusconi, tried to show unity, but often split on key electoral promises.

In spite of internal divisions, the center-right is still seen firmly in the lead – according to the latest available polls – and is expected to clinch a wide-enough majority in both chambers of parliament in Sunday’s vote.

If polls are confirmed, Meloni will become Italy’s first female prime minister, leading its most right-wing government since World War II.

Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party obtained only around 4% of the vote in 2018, but is now expected to win up to 25%, giving it a strong lead over the right-wing bloc.​​​​​​​

A strong communicator and experienced politician, 45-year-old Meloni would, however, face tough challenges, starting from spiking inflation and energy costs, strict debt constraints and a possible escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.