Initial projections on Monday morning put Italy's far-right Lega Nord (Northern League, or Lega) at 17.7 percent of the vote in national elections. The result exceeded expectations and thrust the party into the driving seat of a right-wing alliance forged by Silvio Berlusconi. The former prime minister's Forza Italia took 14.4 percent.

Lega's leader Matteo Salvini immediately called for a right-wing coalition government, saying "the team with which to reason and govern is the center-right one…the center-right coalition has won."

He added he was "committed to the deal" within the bloc that whichever party came away with the most votes would nominate the future prime minister.

Whether or not he becomes prime minister remains to be seen but Salvini, 44, has already left his mark on Italy's far-right.

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Watch video 04:42 Share Populists on the rise in Italy Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2tMqI Populists on the rise in Italy

The Milan native took over Lega in 2013. His victory to become party leader marked a massive shift — founder Umberto Bossi had held the top job for nearly twenty years. Salvini quickly set to work transforming the party into a more mainstream form of populism that could appeal to voters outside of Lega's core support in the northern regions of Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto.

At its inception, Lega called for greater autonomy for Italy's northern regions, and at times even demanded secession from Rome, who it called "the big thief." The party was able to expand its base by preying on the resentment of some northern Italians who believed their tax money was being wasted on the south, and by entering into several high-profile alliances with ex-PM Berlusconi.

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'A crime against humanity'

Under Salvini, the party has veered to staunch euroskepticism. It is especially critical of the euro currency, which Salvini has called a "crime against humanity."

He also took the party's hardline stance on immigration even further, suggesting once in 2009 that Milan introduce "train cars for Milanese only" following rising migration to the city from "non-EU countries."

Salvini has also sought to distance the party from its origins as a northern regionalist organization. He founded the sister party Noi Con Salvini (Us with Salvini) to appeal directly to southern voters, and has proposed changing the party's name from Lega Nord to simply Lega.

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Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign He's back, and this time he's a vegetarian Last Easter, in an attempt to soften his image as he eyed a return to politics, Berlusconi took part in an ad promoting vegetarianism that featured him snuggling lambs in soft lighting overlaid with easy listening music. Although Berlusconi is barred from seeking office for another year due to a fraud conviction, a bloc led by his Forza Italia party has been polling strongly.

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign 'No one will marry you' Berlusconi is well known for offensive remarks and belittling women, so it's no surprise he did both in one go on the campaign trail. Earlier in February, he told a BBC journalist that her handshake was too manly; "Otherwise men will think, this one is going to beat me up, and no one will marry you."

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign Win (a date with) Salvini! Matteo Salvini of the far-right Northern League came up with a humble publicity stunt – whoever likes his Facebook posts can win a chance to take a picture with "the captain", talk to him on the phone, or meet in private. He was lambasted on social media and by Italy's La Repubblica daily, which wrote: "The captain? Even Silvio Berlusconi in his golden age would envy this kind of self-regard."

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign Think about it! If ex-PM Matteo Renzi was hoping to make a big splash with this tepid ad in which — surprise! — he shows up on a bike and tells a family to "think about" voting for him, then he was certainly successful. Just not perhaps in the way he wanted. The staggeringly lackluster TV spot was parodied countless times on social media.

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign Just us kids Luigi di Maio of Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) has repeatedly used his age of only 31 to try and connect with younger voters and is prolific on social media. One of his most cringeworthy attempts to relate to millennial voters came in a video he posted to Instagram in which he said M5S would make Italy "fly high," before "flying" himself in an entertainment complex.

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign Pope: Fake news is like being aroused by feces After the US election, the Pope warned about the spread of fake news in Italy and its undue influence. He called untrue, sensational stories "the greatest damage the media can do," in an interview with the Catholic weekly Tertio. "I think the media...must not fall into – no offense intended – the sickness of coprophilia," he said, using a more polite term for an abnormal interest in faeces.

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign Prime Minister Oliver? Comedian and pundit John Oliver brought the tumultous Italian election to the attention of a wider audience in one of his famous TV segments, skewering Berlusconi. Oliver's solution to Italy's unwieldy democracy? Encouraging Italian lawmakers to appoint him: "Incredibly, I am far from your worst option," he joked while cuddling a lamb. Author: Elizabeth Schumacher



'Scandalous miseducation'

Unlike many previous far-right leaders in Italy, Salvini has also made a priority of aligning himself with other populist leaders. A member of the European Parliament for Lega since 2004, Salvini later began forging connections with French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and their Dutch counterpart Geert Wilders. Salvini is also an outspoken supporter of US President Donald Trump, gleefully tweeting a picture of them holding hands at a Trump campaign rally.

Much of his behavior as leader has been slammed by party founder Bossi, who likes to recall Salvini's left-wing roots when criticizing his successor (Salvini belonged to a left-wing social club as a teen before joining Lega's youth wing).

Denunciations are something he is used to from all sides of the political spectrum. A rival politician once accused him of running a campaign of "scandalous miseducation" — the Italian way of saying "fake news."

Salvini remains vehemently undeterred on the political stage, saying on Monday that his 17% of the vote gave him the "right" to be prime minister.