Italian far-right leader Giorgia Meloni, whose party came top in general elections, said on Monday she would seek to lead the next government and would work for all Italians.

"Italians have sent a clear message in favor of a right-wing government led by Brothers of Italy," she told reporters in Rome while calling for unity to help confront the country's problems. 

"If we are called upon to govern this nation, we will do so for all Italians, with the aim of uniting the people, of exalting what unites them rather than what divides them," Meloni said. "We will not betray your trust."

Provisional results showed that a right-wing alliance led by Meloni's Brothers of Italy party had won around 43 percent of the vote and was on course for a clear majority in parliament.

Earlier on Monday, Italy's main center-left group, the Democratic Party (PD), conceded defeat in the national election and said it would be the largest opposition force in the next parliament. 

"This is a sad evening for the country," Debora Serracchiani, a senior PD lawmaker, told reporters in the party's first official comment on the result. "(The right) has the majority in parliament, but not in the country." 

(With input from Reuters and AFP)