Giorgia Meloni succeeds in a second-order contest: the 2024 European elections in Italy

The article examines the 2024 European elections in Italy, using aggregate and original survey data to assess the relevance of the second-order election model. It explores electoral rules, campaigns, results and public opinion. The findings are mixed: while low turnout and the success of a small opposition party (AVS) align with the second-order model, the good performance of both the governing party (FdI) and the main opposition (PD) contradict it. Despite EU issues being salient for public opinion, the electoral campaign focused on domestic and non-policy issues, and evaluations of government performance influenced voter behaviour more than EU-related issues.