Balance of Power

Meloni’s Woes Hint at Far-Right Troubles Ahead

Italy’s prime minister was something of a model for conservative contenders in Europe.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni at a European Union leaders’ retreat in Rijkhoven, Belgium, on Feb. 12. — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni at a European Union leaders’ retreat in Rijkhoven, Belgium, on Feb. 12.Photographer: Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg

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By Flavia Jackson

March 24, 2026 at 10:59 AM UTC

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The aura of invincibility has come off Giorgia Meloni.