A FAR-RIGHT party has won the most votes in the Italian general election, near-final results showed yesterday, setting the stage for talks on the formation of a new government led by Giorgia Meloni, who would be Italy’s first female premier.

According to the published results, a right-wing coalition picked up 44 per cent of the parliamentary vote, with Ms Meloni’s Brothers of Italy taking 26 per cent, its biggest win in a decade-long meteoric rise.

Her coalition partners divided up the remainder, with the anti-immigrant League party of Matteo Salvini winning 9 per cent and the slightly more moderate Forza Italia of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi receiving about 8 per of the vote.