Italians will vote tomorrow in what are being called crucial elections at a time when Europe is suffering from the consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine.
For the first time in Italy since the end of the Second World War, these elections could bring to the head of the government a leader of the extreme right, the head of the party Brothers of Italy, Giorgio Meloni.
Huge energy costs and rapidly rising prices for staples such as bread, a consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine's granary, have hit many Italian families and businesses hard.
In such a dark environment, Đorđa Meloni and her party Brothers of Italy with neo-fascist roots and a program in which God, homeland and Christian identity seem to be leading according to pre-election polls.
The election could be a test of whether far-right sentiment is gaining ground in the 27-member EU.
Recently, a right-wing party in Sweden has gained popularity by exploiting people's fears about crime.
Đorđe Meloni's main ally is Matteo Salvini's right-wing League party, which blames migrants for crime. Salvini has long ideologically supported right-wing governments in Hungary and Poland.
"Elections in the middle of a war, in the middle of an energy crisis and at the beginning, it seems, of an economic crisis... are almost by definition crucial," said Natali Toki, director of the Rome-based Institute for International Relations.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, is betting that 'Europe will crack' under the weight of economic and energy problems caused by the war," Toki told AP.
Salvini, who draws on his voter base among business owners in northern Italy, has previously worn pro-Putin T-shirts. He also questioned the wisdom of maintaining Western economic sanctions on Russia, saying they could be too damaging to Italian economic interests.
The publication of poll results was suspended 15 days before Sunday's election, but before then they indicated that Đodja Meloni's party would win the most votes, just ahead of the center-left Democratic Party led by former prime minister Enrico Leto.
The campaign alliance linking Meloni with conservative allies Salvini and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has a clear advantage over Leta in Italy's complex parliamentary seat allocation system.
Leta had hoped in vain to form an alliance with the left-wing populist Five Star Movement, the largest party in the outgoing government.
While this is a difficult time for Europe, turnout in Sunday's election could be the lowest ever in Italy. In the previous elections in 2018, there was a record low turnout of 73 percent.
Lorenzo Pregiasco, who runs a public opinion polling company, says that this time the turnout could drop to as low as 66 percent.
Pregliasco, the head of JuTrend (YouTrend), says the fact that three different governing coalitions have been formed in Italy since the last election in 2018 has left Italians disillusioned and disinterested. "They don't see voting as something that matters."
The outgoing government is headed by the former head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi.
At the beginning of 2021, the President of Italy invited Draghi to form a unity government after the collapse of the second ruling coalition led by Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte.
As Pregliasko said, "in an apparent paradox", the polls show that "the majority of Italians like Draghi and think that his government worked well", and yet Đorđa Meloni is the only leader of a leading party that refused to join Draghi's coalition, leading according to the polls.
As analyst Toki said, Đorđe Meloni's party is so popular simply because it is new.
Dragi said that he does not want another term as prime minister.
Critics continue to follow Meloni, accusing her of not making an unequivocal break with her party's roots in the neo-fascist movement founded by those nostalgic for the dictator Benito Mussolini after his regime's disastrous role in World War II.
During the campaign she stated that she "does not pose a danger to democracy".
Some political analysts say that when it comes to her, the main concern is not the fascist issue.
"I'm afraid of incompetence, not the fascist threat," said Roberto D'Alimonte, professor of political science at the private LUISS University in Rome. "She didn't rule anything".
Meloni (45) was the minister for youth in the last Berlusconi government, ten years ago.
Instead, D'Alimonte said, her main right-wing coalition partner, Salvini, is worth worrying about.
"Salvini will create problems, not Meloni. Meloni is not asking for an end to sanctions against Russia, Salvini is. He is not asking Meloni for more debt or a bigger deficit, but Salvini," he said.
However, recent incidents have caused fears about the Brothers of Italy party.
The party suspended its candidate in Sicily when he published statements on social media showing his appreciation for Hitler.
Separately, the brother of one of the party's co-founders was seen giving what appeared to be a fascist salute at a relative's funeral. The brother denied that he did that.
For years, the right wing has led the fight against unrestricted immigration as hundreds of thousands of migrants have reached Italy's shores on smugglers' boats or ships that rescued them in the Mediterranean.
Both Meloni and Salvini have been vocal against what they see as an invasion of foreigners who, they say, do not share Italy's "Christian" identity.
Leta, who wants to make it easier for children of legal migrants to obtain citizenship, also played the fear card. In his party's campaign, on the bus ads, you can see a serious Leto with his one-word motto "Choose" on half of the picture, and a sullen Putin on the other half.
Salvini and Berlusconi both expressed admiration for the Russian leader. Meloni, however, supports the delivery of arms to Ukraine so that it can defend itself.
With the price of energy ten times higher than a year ago, how to save jobs is high on the list of Italians' concerns.
But with the possible exception of Salvini, who wants to reactivate closed nuclear power plants in Italy, the candidates failed to differentiate themselves in proposing solutions to the energy crisis. Almost everyone is in favor of the EU limiting gas prices.
The threat of climate change did not feature much in the Italian campaign. Italy's small Green party, Leta's campaign partner, is predicted to win barely a few seats in parliament.
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