Italy's ruling coalition won a closely watched by-election in the southern region of Calabria on Monday.

It was the first major test for ‌Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni against a new far-right foe ahead of a general election due next year.

National Future, led by former army general Roberto Vannacci, has surged to around 9% in opinion polls since its launch in February, overtaking Meloni's junior coalition partners and challenging the right in the conservative constituency of Reggio Calabria.

However, the party's bid fell short, ⁠with the government........

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