Giorgia Meloni has been identified as an admirer of Mussolini and has been trying since adolescence to end criticism of his militancy.
Andreas SOLARO / AFP
Giorgia Meloni, Italian Prime Minister and leader of the extreme right, this Tuesday, 25, denied any sympathy or proximity to fascism. “I have never had sympathy or closeness to antidemocratic regimes. For any regime, including fascism,” he said in an attempt to quell criticism of his youthful militancy in movements founded by fascism’s heirs. The 45yearold politician, who was sworn in on Saturday as Italy’s first female head of government, presented her government program and addressed the most sensitive issues in international politics. “THE Italy it is a complete part of Europe and the western world,” Meloni explained to reassure European allies. “We will not stop or sabotage the EU, we will make it more effective in responding to crises,” he added, after noting that he would respect “the rules in place” on the budget issue. During his speech in parliament, which is to vote on the motion of confidence in his government, Meloni promised that Italy would continue to be a “reliable partner for the NATO“, is replaced with “Support for Ukraine and his opposition to Russian aggression”.
The successor to Mario Draghi, whom he praised, should easily receive the vote of confidence, since his coalition has a large majority in both chambers. A sensitive issue that is causing disagreements among his allies in the rightwing coalition, notably with the leader of the League Party, Matteo Salvini, and with the founder of Forza Italia, the magnate Silvio Berlusconi, a personal friend of the Russian president. Wladimir Putin. Meloni spoke about his proposal to tackle inflation, the energy crisis and the threat of recession in the eurozone’s third largest economy. Inflation will be a “priority” issue for which she wants to “step up measures to support families and businesses,” an economic gamble “that will deplete a large part of available resources,” she acknowledged. When it comes to the €200 billion in grants and loans available from the postpandemic recovery fund European UnionShe assured that the amount would be spent “without delay and without waste”. Meloni promised that the government, Italy’s most farright executive since World War II, would “not deviate an inch” from democratic values and “fight every form of racism, antiSemitism, political violence, discrimination”.
*With information from AFP