Italy’s government is expected to become a conservative powerhouse as Giorgia Meloni is the likely winner in the election for the nation’s prime minister. The conservative coalition is predicted to have a majority in both the upper and the lower Houses of Italy’s Parliament. The election results mark a shift from left-leaning rule for the past several decades, dating back to World War II.

Meloni would become the first woman to serve as Italy’s prime minister. In a victory speech, Meloni struck a moderate tone after projections based on votes counted from some two-thirds of polling stations showed her Brothers of Italy party ahead of other contenders in Sunday’s vote.

“If we are called to govern this nation, we will do it for everyone, we will do it for all Italians and we will do it with the aim of uniting the people (of this country),” Meloni said at her party’s Rome headquarters. “We must remember that we are not at the end point, we are at the starting point. It is from tomorrow that we must prove our worth.”

Meloni’s meteoric rise in Italy comes at a critical time, as Italian businesses and households are struggling to pay soaring gas and electricity bills, a repercussion of European energy policies and the war in Ukraine. In some cases, energy costs 10 times higher than it did last year. Sunday’s election was held six months early after Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s COVID-19 pandemic unity government collapsed in late July.

In her campaign, Meloni criticized European Union officials as being overly bureaucratic and vowed to protect Italy’s national interests if they clash with EU policies. She is expected to make further comment on Monday.