<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Polls opened Sunday in the Italian national elections, with the far-right Brothers of Italy party -- led by Giorgia Meloni -- poised to make big gains after the collapse of two governments since the last election.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Her ultra-conservative party, whose origins lie in post-war fascism, control just two of Italy's 20 regions, winning just 4.5% of the vote in the 2018 elections.</div><div><br></div><div>But since the collapse of former Prime Minister Mario Draghi's coalition earlier in this year -- which triggered the snap election -- the Brothers of Italy have only surged in popularity, with recent polling suggesting nearly a quarter of the electorate backs her.</div><div><br></div><div>Meloni, a 45-year-old mother from Rome who has campaigned under the slogan "God, country and family," leads a party whose agenda is rooted in Euroskepticism, anti-immigration policies, and one that has also proposed weakening LGBTQ and abortion rights.</div><div><br></div><div>Her astronomical rise in popularity is a reflection of Italy's longstanding rejection of mainstream politics, seen most recently with the country's support of anti-establishment parties such as the Five Star Movement and Matteo Salvini's League. - CNN</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>