Italy's PM Meloni comes out on top in EU vote, strengthening her hand

FILE PHOTO: Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacts at a polling station on the day of the European Parliament elections, in Rome, Italy June 8, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) -Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's arch-conservative Brothers of Italy group won the most votes in the European parliamentary election over the weekend, boosting her standing both at home and abroad.

With almost all ballots counted, Brothers of Italy won 28.8%of the vote, more than four times what it took in the last European Union election in 2019, and exceeding the 26% it secured in the 2022 national ballot, when it rose to power.