So it’s clear: Giorgia Meloni will be Italy’s new prime minister. After a record-breaking meeting with the Italian president on Friday morning, Meloni’s message was clear: “We are ready to give the country a government as soon as possible.” After another meeting with the president on Friday afternoon, she was given the official task of forming a government, and presented the names of the country’s new ministers immediately afterwards. The government will be sworn in on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Difficult start The alliance of right-wing and far-right parties in Italy won clearly in September. The weeks that followed have nevertheless been characterized more by arguments than celebrations. UNSTABLE COALITION: Silvio Berlusconi has caused trouble for Giorgia Meloni in recent weeks. Photo: ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP First it was about Giorgia Meloni’s party colleagues. How her far-right Italy’s Brethren party has planned to manage its hard-hitting political past, rooted in Italian neo-fascism, was a recurring theme in the election campaign. When the party’s co-founder Ignazio La Russa was appointed Senate president earlier in October, parts of the opposition reacted strongly: La Russa is known for a sort of ambivalent attitude towards fascism, where on the one hand he can distance himself from the regime that took over power in Italy exactly one hundred years ago. At the same time, he has a much talked about collection of fascism souvenirs at home in the living room, including a large statue of the dictator Benito Mussolini. La Russa, whose middle name is “Benito”, likes to joke about the party’s past, such as when, during the pandemic, he tweeted a call to greet with the right hand raised, in fascist fashion, instead of shaking hands, to avoid viruses and bacteria. (It was deleted after a while). Ignazio La Russa brought flowers to Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre when he was appointed Senate President in Italy. Photo: ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP The appointment of La Russa took place during a ceremony led by lifetime senator and Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre. For parts of the opposition, and for Jewish organizations in Italy, there was a worrying symbolism in that ceremony. Giorgia Meloni, who recently called the deportation of Jews from the ghetto in Rome “abhorrent and inhumane,” said that no one can doubt La Russa’s qualifications for the job, both as a patriot and an irreplaceable role model for several generations of activists and politicians. WIN: Giorgia Meloni was well pleased when the election results became clear: 26% of voters voted for her. Photo: Gregorio Borgia / AP The light from Putin The opposition did not soften the blow to the winning coalition when the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies was appointed immediately afterwards. Here, too, the new majority did not land on any particularly unifying figure: Lorenzo Fontana from Meloni’s coalition partner Lega is known for his unvarnished statements against homosexuals and against immigrants. He has also made a name for himself as one of Lega’s most ardent supporters of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, which he has described as a model society, and a “shining light, also for us in the West”. Lega’s connections to – and admiration for – Vladimir Putin have been a concern for Giorgia Meloni, who has insisted throughout the election campaign that her government will be characterized by a clear and distinct support for NATO and for the EU countries’ condemnation of Putin’s warfare. But in a coalition government everyone has to get their share, and Fontana was Lega’s man. “Arrogant and ridiculous” As if that wasn’t enough, Giorgia Meloni had more challenges, this time created by her third coalition partner, the veteran Silvio Berlusconi. OLD FRIENDS: Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi have had a close relationship for many years. Photo: ITAR-TASS / Ap Silvio Berlusconi has been clearly unhappy to be put on the sidelines in the discussion about important positions and places in the government for his once dominant party Forza Italia. For a man who referred to Meloni as “the poor girl” when he included her in his own government in 2008, it has apparently been difficult to accept that the balance of power has changed. In recent weeks, Berlusconi has dominated the public with constant jabs at Giorgia Meloni. First with some handwritten characteristics of Meloni, scribbled down in the Senate, and easily visible to the photographers: Meloni is both “arrogant, bossy and ridiculous”, the former prime minister had noted. Then, on October 18, the footage appeared that threatened to topple the entire government formation. Here you could hear how Berlusconi had resumed his friendship with Putin – and how the friendship was sealed in the form of a “cozy letter” from Putin. As well as 20 bottles of vodka as a birthday present. The former Italian Prime Minister had immediately responded with an equally pleasant letter, and 20 bottles of Lambrusco wine from northern Italy. Shortly afterwards, a new audio recording was leaked, this time with a message that goes a long way to absolve Putin of responsibility for what is happening in Ukraine. It has all happened against Putin’s will, explains Berlusconi, who believes that Putin only had a well-intentioned wish to install a new government in Kyiv consisting of “good and decent people” like that in a hurry. A spokesman for the Ukrainian authorities responded by suggesting that Berlusconi must have drunk a little too much Russian vodka. Meloni was relatively clear in her brief comment: “Europe is a proud part of Europe and of the Atlantic alliance,” she said. “Anyone who does not agree with this cornerstone cannot become part of the government, even if it were to prevent the formation of a government.” ALL FOR ONE: Giorgia Meloni is the boss. How loyal will Silvio Berlusconi (Forza Italia) and Matteo Salvini (Lega) be as supporters? Photo: YARA NARDI / Reuters On Friday morning, the atmosphere was apparently good again. It was only Giorgia Meloni who spoke, when the message about the upcoming government formation had to be communicated. Silvio Berlusconi contented himself with a smile. Now the alliance will have to test itself. The internal rift has been put to rest for the time being, but it remains to be seen whether Giorgia Meloni’s coalition partners have more surprises in store, if they feel overlooked in the new political everyday life.
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Giorgia Meloni will form a government in Italy – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
