Outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi passed the baton on Sunday to the post-fascist Giorgia Meloni, in a ceremony of high symbolic value in Rome, which made it the first woman to lead a government in Italy.
The transfer of powers took place in the Chigi Palace, seat of government located two steps from Parliament.
Upon arrival on the red carpet installed for the occasion, Meloni, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, reviewed the honor guard to the sound of a music band.
Visibly moved, she was received by Draghi, former head of the European Central Bank, whoyou welcomed him and he met with her for nearly an hour.
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Next, Draghi, much appreciated on the international scene, made him the symbolic delivery of the silver bell used to lead the debates in the Council of Ministers.
Meloni, 45, will head the most right-wing government the country has ever known since its creation in 1946. On Saturday, he was sworn in before the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella.
She will be the head of a conservative executive thanks to a coalition with the League, the extreme right-wing and anti-immigration formation of Matteo Salvini, and with the declining Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia.
The Roman leader won a historic victory in the legislative elections of September 25, after cutting the most controversial edges of his party, Brothers of Italy.
These elections were called in advance after Draghi’s resignation, who took office as prime minister in February 2021, but lost the support of his partners.
After the ceremony, the first meeting of the Council of Ministers is scheduled, mainly dedicated to administrative tasks.
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The new executive – of 24 ministers, including six women – will have to deal with numerous challenges that Italy has ahead, especially economic ones.
Rome’s room for maneuver are limited by a enormous public debt of 150% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the highest proportion of euro zone after Greece.
Saturday, Meloni promised to work closely with its international partners and his message was well received in Brussels, the seat of the European Union.
The president of the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, Ursula von der Leyen, he said he looked forward to “constructive cooperation” with his government. Along the same lines, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
