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Voters taking to the polls in Italy have elected a coalition likely to be led by far-right politician Giorgia Meloni, according to provisional results.

The BBC reported that Meloni, 45, is on course to be the country's first female prime minister.

Her party, the Brothers of Italy, is set to win 26 per cent of the vote, the most of any single party, and together with other parties in Italy's right-wing alliance, it will form the government.

The alliance's 43 per cent share of the vote gives it a comfortable parliamentary majority, reported the Financial Times.

It represents a dramatic rise to power; Brothers of Italy received the support of little more than 4 per cent of voters casting their ballot for the party four years ago.

Party linked to movement formed by Mussolini loyalists

The party has its roots in a movement formed post-World War Two by loyalists of the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

Meloni has tried to soften her image in the lead-up to the elections, expressing support for Ukraine and toning down her Euroscepticism, reported the BBC.

However, a speech delivered earlier this year outlined her priorities:

"Yes to the natural family, no to the LGBT lobby, yes to sexual identity, no to gender ideology... no to Islamist violence, yes to secure borders, no to mass migration... no to big international finance... no to the bureaucrats of Brussels!"

The last is a reference to the European Union, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

Meloni's biggest rivals, the Democratic party and their Left alliance, were only able to garner about 26 per cent of the vote in total.

The Left alliance also failed to negotiate a coalition with the Five Star Movement, described as a populist party, despite the fact they have several policies in common.

Meloni's victory in Italy, which is the European Union's third-biggest economy, follows Sweden's own right-wing shift.

In the Scandinavian nation, a right-wing bloc of parties narrowly beat the ruling left-wing bloc.

Top image from Giorgia Meloni's Instagram