Italy: Right-wing leader Giorgia Meloni becomes first woman to receive premiership

On Saturday, a representative from Rashtrapati Bhavan announced the swearing-in of Meloni and his cabinet. In the recent national election of Italy, Meloni’s Brothers of ItalyThe party with neo-fascist roots received the largest share of votes.

Meloni, 45, a career politician, told reporters hours before the new government was announced that he and his allies had unanimously requested that President Sergio Mattarella give him the right to govern.

Receiving the premiership brought a remarkable rapid growth for the Italian brothers. Meloni co-founded the party in December 2012, and it was considered a fringe movement on the right during its first years.

Before leaving the Quirinal Presidential Palace, Meloni remained silent in public. Two of his primary, sometimes troublesome right-wing allies, former premiers Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini, met Mattarella earlier in the day.

After election on 25 september, Mattarella said he was happy that the government was established in a “short amount of time”. The formation of a new ruling coalition after the 2018 election took three months.

A new government to be quickly installed in the nation “was made possible by the clarity of the vote result and the need to proceed quickly, as well as the domestic and international circumstances that require the government to carry out its functions,” Mattarella told reporters.

Energy prices are out of control in Italy and the rest of Europe, and Russia’s conflict drama in Ukraine could restrict gas supplies this winter, raising the cost of domestic and commercial electricity.

While Meloni supports Ukraine against Russian aggression, Berlusconi and Salvini have long been admirers of Russian President Vladimir Putin. These differences may result in difficulties for the coalition controlling them.

The electoral victory of Meloni’s party had angered Berlusconi, the three-time premier. In a vote with a record-low turnout, the Brothers of Italy won with 26%, followed by Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and the League of Salvini, an anti-immigration party, with just over 8% each. achieved.

In 2018, when Italy held its last parliamentary election, Meloni’s party took just over 4%.

Even though members of his party form a majority in the Italian parliament, Meloni needs the support of both of his allies to achieve a strong majority.

(with inputs from AP)