Italian far-right leader Matteo Salvini expressed disappointment Monday at his rout in general elections but said he would work with ally Giorgia Meloni, who triumphed, to form a long-lasting, stable government.

The result "is not a number I wanted and I worked for. But we are at nine percent in a right-wing government in which we are protagonists," the leader of the anti-immigration League told reporters.

He added: "Around 4:00 am I messaged Giorgia, who obviously I congratulate. She was good, we will work together for a long time."

The Eurosceptic League swept to office with 17 percent of the vote in 2018, but since then has been eclipsed by Meloni's post-fascist Brothers of Italy.

A glum Salvini said Meloni had benefited from being the only party leader to stay outside the coalition formed by Prime Minister Mario Draghi in February 2021.

"Brothers of Italy was good at being a strong opposition," he said.

For the League, being part of that administration "was not easy", he said, but insisted "I would do it again."

Meloni secured around 26 percent of the vote in Sunday's poll, according to partial results, putting her on course to become Italy's first woman prime minister.

She campaigned as part of a coalition including Salvini's League and former premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, which secured around eight percent.

The trio do not always see eye to eye, not least on their attitude to Russia and the war in Ukraine, raising concerns about how well they will be able to work together.

Salvini said that after years of unwieldy coalitions, Italy finally had "a government chosen by its citizens, with a clear majority" in both houses of parliament.

He said he hoped it could "go for at least five years straight, without changes, without upheavals, focusing on things to do".

The League had focused its campaign on ending mass migration but also on demanding immediate help for households and businesses in the face of soaring inflation, particularly in energy prices.