October 21, 2022, 2:43 PM
October 21, 2022, 2:43 PM
The far-right Giorgia Meloni was appointed Prime Minister of Italy this Friday, as head of the Brothers of Italy party, winner of the legislative elections.
Meloni, 45, thus became the first woman to head the Executive of the third largest economy in the European Union (EU) and a member of NATO. Her arrival in power occurs a century after that of Benito Mussolini.
President Sergio Mattarella entrusted Meloni with the task of forming a government and his first announcement was to appoint Giancarlo Giorgetti as Economy Minister, considered a moderate and pro-European figure of the League, Matteo Salvini’s far-right formation.
Giorgetti will have to coordinate with the other EU countries the response to a difficult situation, accentuated by the energy crisis and inflation.
Despite her reputation as a eurosceptic, Meloni also appointed a convinced European, the former president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, to head the diplomacy.
Tensions with Berlusconi
Meloni’s task seems difficult, since he will have to maintain unity in a coalition that is already showing fissures.
Salvini and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi reject the authority of this woman, whose post-fascist party won 26% of the vote in the September 25 elections, compared to 8% for Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and 9% for the League.
The press media of the peninsula echoed the multiple questions between the three leaders about the distribution of posts.
Meloni is favorable to NATO and Ukraine in the war that this country is waging against the Russian invasion.
A position that contrasts with that of Berlusconi, who congratulated himself this week for having “resumed” his contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and blamed Ukraine for the war.
Meloni felt compelled to clarify on Wednesday that Italy “is fully a part and with its head held high” in the EU and NATO.
Meloni has tried, on the other hand, to minimize in recent times the fears that his coming to power provokes in matters of society.
This talented speaker, a conservative Christian hostile to LGBT+ rights and whose motto is “God, country, family”, promised that she will not touch the law that authorizes abortion.
Economic crisis
But the economic crisis will be an unavoidable issue.
Inflation in Italy reached 8.9% year-on-year in September and the country is at risk of entering a technical recession next year, as is Germany.
The room for maneuver is limited by its colossal public debt, which represents 150% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the highest ratio in the euro zone, behind Greece.
Meloni resigned from the military for an exit from the euro, but promised to defend the interests of his country in Brussels.
Italian growth will also depend on the nearly 200 billion euros (about 195 billion dollars) of subsidies and loans agreed by the EU in the framework of its post-pandemic recovery fund.
