Italy election: Giorgia Meloni's far-right party Brothers of Italy wins most votes - exit polls

In summary

• Exit polls predict a win for the far-right Brothers of Italy party
• Giorgia Meloni's movement is part of a right-wing coalition set for power
• Meloni is on course to be Italy's first female prime minister
• Who is Giorgia Meloni?
• Right-wing coalition got 36.5 to 46.5% (Brothers of Italy 22-26%; Northern League 8.5-12.5%; and Go Italy! 6-8%
• Left-wing coalition got 25.9 to 29.5% (including Democratic Party 17-21%)
• Five Star Movement got 13.5 to 17.5%
• Third Pole got 6.5 to 8.5%

Giorgia Meloni tweets: "We will not betray your trust"

On Monday morning, the Brothers of Italy leader - who seems to have won the election and will likely become prime minister - tweeted: "We will not betray your trust. We are ready to lift up Italy again. THANK YOU!"

Just over half of the Senate and one-quarter of the Lower House votes have been counted

So far, the right-wing bloc has obtained 42.3% in the lower house, the centre-left 27.9%, the Five Star Movement 14.9%, and the Centrist coalition 8.1%.

Europe's right-wing leaders praise Meloni

Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spanish far-right party Vox, has congratulated Meloni on Twitter for what exit polls suggest is a landslide victory for her party and coalition.

"[Giorgia Meloni] has shown the road for a Europe that is proud, free and of sovereign natures, that are able to cooperate for the security and prosperity of all.

Go on, [Brothers of Italy]."

Meloni had spoken at a Vox rally in Marbella this summer, where she decried "LGBT lobbies" and "Islamic violence".

Others to have joined the chorus of praise include Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who tweeted "Congratulations [Giorgia Meloni]!"

Exit polls

The right-wing blog is expected to get 41-45% of the vote, according to a RAI exit poll.

Its biggest party is the Giorgia Meloni-led Brothers of Italy, which will likely obtain 22-26%.

The Democratic Party-led centre-left coalition and the Five Star Movement lag behind with 25.5-29.5% and 13.5-17.5%.

The small centrist Third Poll is predicted to obtain 6.5-8.5%.

Extraordinarily low voter turn out

Only 64.67% of the electorate has been reported to have turned up to vote in this election, making it a dramatically low figure in a country with a historically high level of political participation.

Giorgia Meloni's far-right party wins Italy's snap general election, exit polls suggest

Italy seems set to have its first female prime minister.

Meloni votes

Dogs at polling stations