ROME – Italy’s president made the decision on Friday to make Giorgia Meloni the country’s first female prime minister, leading the most right-wing government since World War Two amid doubts over their commitment for European unification as economic and political pressure increased from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We are ready,” Ms. Meloni said on Friday.
Ms. Meloni, leader of Italy’s far-right Brotherhood, a party that rose from the ashes after Italy’s failed experience with Fascism, emerged from last month’s election as the clear leader of the country’s victorious right-wing coalition. On Friday, she presented her cabinet to the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, who, convinced that she had the backing to take power, gave her the task of forming a government. She will be sworn in on Saturday morning, and will face confidence votes in Parliament next week.
Upon taking office, Ms. Meloni will face rising inflation, an energy crisis and growing pressure across Italian politics to ease Italy’s economic difficulties by easing support for the Italian government. Ukraine and oppose Russia. Her coalition members themselves raised doubts that Italy would defeat the united European front against Russia.
Silvio Berlusconi, a pillar of her coalition and a personal friend of Vladimir V. Putin, this week announced caught on ice blame Ukraine for the war and brag about receiving a gift of vodka from Putin. Her other coalition partner, Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-migrant League party and now deputy prime minister, used to wear a T-shirt with Putin’s face on it.
Ms. Meloni has vowed to continue providing military aid to Ukraine and shows no signs of wavering. On Wednesday, she said that Italy was fully deserved and “heads up high, being part of the European and Atlantic union”. She warned that any coalition allies unwilling to follow that line would not be in government.
“Italy will never be the weak link of the West,” she promised.
But she also has worries the European establishment with its long history of delivering sensational speeches against the European Union. She has entertained the idea of leaving the euro and has previously affiliated with France’s far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen and Hungary’s illiberal leader, Viktor Orban. She proposed a naval blockade to stop immigrants from Africa, who she complained were displacing native Italians.
In recent months, Ms Meloni has mostly toned down her rhetoric and distanced herself from Europeans – with notable exceptions in fiery remarks to her party allies. Spanish far-right Vox. Although she is renowned in the Italian establishment for her pragmatism and sharp wits, her leadership is still a marked change for Italy and Europe, which in two years has Mario Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank, is a man of the country. Prime minister.
Draghi’s nearly two years in power have brought about a period of economic growth, stability and significant international influence for Italy.
“Italy is a very strong country and it has shown a lot of power and credibility,” Draghi said in Brussels on Friday, responding to a reporter’s question about the market’s reaction to his move. leaving the prime minister’s office.
Mr Draghi, who spoke to Ms Meloni on Friday, said he had no advice to put in place a new government, but said the work his government had done was “what a prime minister is about to leave”. bequeathed to his successor”. He said he was working to ensure a smooth transition, but also made sure all of his ministers had prepared documents to ensure their successors were “informed”.
Ms. Meloni had hoped to appoint several non-political technocrats to key positions, such as the Economy Ministry, to assuage the concerns of international investors.
But many of the top picks turned her down. The list of ministers she presented on Friday consisted mainly of politicians from coalition parties. One of her party members will lead an economic development division renamed Made in Italy, a nod to Ms. Meloni’s nationalism.
While critics of the opposition on Friday night questioned whether her ministers had the expertise to lead Italy through such difficult times, some also raised concerns. that they would make Italy fall back on citizenship.
Eugenia Roccella, minister of the Ministry of Family, Natural Rights and Equal Opportunity, spoke out against abortion, LGBTQ rights and assisted reproduction. Ivan Scalfarotto, a senator and LGBTQ activist, wrote on Twitter: “We will be steadfast to avoid any temptation of Polish or Hungarian drift,” he wrote.
Mr. Draghi, who was appointed to lead the country after the fall of the previous government, did not run. While he was very popular in Italy, not a single candidate emerged to win that support. Instead, the right-wing coalition easily defeated the country’s fragmented left and lack of direction in the elections.
Mattarella, Italy’s president, said on Friday that the “clarity of the election results” made it easier to form a government in a short time.
But in recent days, internal rifts in the new governing coalition have erupted around Mr. Berlusconi, 86. Photographers took pictures of notes he had written describing Ms Meloni as “bossy, arrogant, insulting” and members of his party leaked tapes of him plunging him Putin.
On Friday, Ms. Meloni and members of her coalition met Mr. Mattarella to show that they were united behind her and could govern. They then stood together as Ms Meloni issued a statement in which she said it was the “unanimous” choice to lead the country.
At that moment, Mr. Berlusconi raised his eyebrows at Mr. Salvini, who seemed to suppress a smile. Corriere della Sera, the country’s leading newspaper, published the expressions in a slow-motion video.
