Share of votes won by Forza Italia 1994-2022
Forza Italia (FI) was founded in 1994 by the media and construction businessman Silvio Berlusconi. In the first elections, it collected around 20 percent of the votes, which enabled its leader to be appointed Prime Minister. The party played a prominent role in the Italian politics for more than 20 years, with Berlusconi being the head of government for almost a decade. In 2008, FI achieved the best result, earning 37 percent of the votes. After the 2011 financial crisis, which negatively impacted on Berlusconi's government, the party's consensus progressively declined, reaching the historical minimum in 2022. Currently, FI is part of the governing coalition led by the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.