In 2019, Giorgia Meloni made a speech that came to define her: "I am Giorgia, I am a woman, I am a mother, I am Italian, I am a Christian, and you can't take that away from me," she told cheering supporters. Fast forward three years, and the nationalist leader is also poised to become Italy's first female prime minister.

Provisional results from Sunday's general election showed Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) group topping the polls with almost 26% of the vote, propelling an alliance of right-wing parties to clear majorities in both houses of parliament. At the last general election in 2018, FdI won just 4.3%.